Blake Lively was dealt a fresh legal blow on Monday amid her ongoing battle to have Justin Baldoni cover her legal fees, following their shock settlement.
A judge rejected the 38-year-old Gossip Girl star’s request to file more briefs and offer additional information before making a final decision on any fees or damages she may be entitled to, as per TMZ.
Just days after the feuding parties reached a settlement in Lively’s nearly two-year long battle against her It Ends With Us co-star, 42, it was revealed that the actress is still pursuing him for legal fees and damages tied to his failed $400 million defamation case against her.
Lively claims she is entitled to the payout as the winning party in Baldoni’s defamation suit, which she alleged was filed in retaliation to her own sexual harassment lawsuit.
She is also demanding ‘compensatory damages tripled, and punitive damages,’ according to a court filing.
Lively’s legal team had already submitted motions on the matter earlier in the case, but were hoping to present further arguments and evidence, before the judge shut down the request.
Blake Lively, 38, was dealt a fresh legal blow on Monday amid her ongoing battle to have Justin Baldoni, 42, cover her legal fees, following their settlement
The document was filed at a New York court three days after Lively settled her own case against Baldoni, just two weeks before it was meant to go to trial.
Baldoni had countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 49, and the New York Times in early 2025, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit last year.
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EXCLUSIVE Downcast Blake Lively shows the strain days after shock Baldoni lawsuit settlement
The shock settlement came after a judge ‘gutted’ Lively’s 2024 sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit by tossing out her key allegations last month.
The It Ends With Us co-stars reportedly spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another, according to Page Six.
In a joint statement announcing the settlement, neither side apologized but they acknowledged Lively’s claims ‘deserved to be heard.’
Lively’s attorneys commented further on Thursday, in their own statement calling the agreement a ‘resounding victory’ for their client.
‘By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms Lively.’
‘And by admitting that Ms Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” the defendants have ended once and for all the fiction that Ms Lively “fabricated” claims of sexual harassment and retaliation.’
‘From day one Blake Lively’s mission was clear: expose and hold accountable those who weaponize smear campaigns and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors. That mission continues,’ the statement concluded.
The star’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb said the court should impose ‘severe and mandatory penalties against any party who files unsuccessful retaliatory defamation actions against sexual harassment and retaliation complainants.’
A judge rejected her request to file more briefs and offer additional information before making a final decision on any fees or damages she may be entitled to, as per TMZ; She is seen in 2024
Just days after they reached a settlement in Lively’s long battle against Baldoni, it was revealed that she is still pursuing him for legal fees and damages tied to his failed $400 million defamation case against her and husband Ryan Reynolds, 49; Lively and Reynolds in 2025
Baldoni’s lawyers previously said any attempt to make him cover Lively’s costs for his own lawsuit would be ‘draconian’; Baldoni seen in 2024
He argued that Lively’s allegations against Baldoni were legally protected because she made them with the California Civil Rights Department.
Judge Lewis Liman, who oversaw both cases, agreed with her and dismissed Baldoni’s case in November last year on that basis.
Gottlieb wrote that California Civil Code Section 47.1, the applicable law, was designed to ensure that people who claim sexual harassment can ‘share their experiences with courts, agencies, the press, and others without fear of suit.’
Gottlieb also asked to submit a five-page brief to the court explaining how they want the judge to award her the money, according to the court documents.
The law was passed in 2023 in response to the MeToo movement and is relatively untested in the courts.
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s lawyers said any attempt to make him cover Lively’s costs for his own lawsuit would be ‘draconian.’
They said that he had a right to defend himself and that Lively is asking the judge to find that ‘she is immune from any culpability for her wrongful acts.’
While the full settlement has not yet been made public so far, one court document noted that both sides waived their right to appeal it.
Earlier this week the Daily Mail revealed Lively did not get a single dollar from the surprise settlement, despite claiming she lost nearly $300 million in earnings and income; Seen on Monday at the Met Gala
A source in the Baldoni camp played down the request from Gottlieb, noting that Judge Liman was going to rule on it anyway.
In their own statement Thursday, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said the settlement was a ‘win and total victory’ for their side.
‘The court had already dismissed 10 of Ms Lively’s 13 claims, including every sexual harassment claim, every defamation claim, and all claims against the individual defendants. Ms Lively voluntarily dismissed the rest,’ he said.
‘In our view, they settled because they knew they were going to lose in court. All that remains is a pending request for fees based on a very narrow issue that has been with the court since September 2025.’
Any legal fees could be in the tens of thousands of dollars rather than a significant sum, the source told the Daily Mail.
Earlier this week the Daily Mail revealed Lively did not get a single dollar from the surprise settlement.
Despite claiming she lost nearly $300 million in earnings and income after being the victim of an alleged ‘smear campaign,’ no money changed hands in the final agreement.
Sources in Baldoni’s camp said they were ‘ecstatic’ with how the case was resolved.
The lack of a financial settlement is a sharp contrast to Lively’s requests to be compensated for the damage to her reputation and film career.
The settlement came just weeks before their scheduled May 18 trial, after a judge ‘gutted’ Lively’s 2024 sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit by tossing out her key allegations last month; Lively and Baldoni seen in a still from It Ends With Us
The star claimed in court documents that she lost as much as $40.5 million due to being branded a ‘mean girl’ and a ‘bully’.
She claimed in court filings that she missed out on up to $87.8 million in lost acting and endorsement opportunities.
Up to $143.5 million more was supposedly lost in profits from Lively’s haircare and alcohol range after the controversy over the film
Baldoni’s lawyers called these claims ‘pie in the sky’ figures and said that Lively’s reputation was already damaged due to her own actions.
In December of 2024, Lively named Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress.
In her lawsuit, the actress accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways, including body shaming her, and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation – allegations which Baldoni has vehemently denied.
It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.
