Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawyers raked in eye-watering fees throughout their lengthy legal battle.
Though the actress, 38, did not get a single dollar from Baldoni, 42, after settling her lawsuit against his film production company Wayfarer just two weeks before the case was set to go to trial, their attorneys fared much better.
The It Ends With Us co-stars reportedly spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another, according to Page Six.
Baldoni was represented by high-profile legal eagle Bryan Freedman and seasoned trial attorney Ellyn Garofalo, while Lively’s legal team consisted of top litigators Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson.
Despite Lively’s claim that 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.
Freedman celebrated the win on Tuesday, declaring the result for Baldoni nothing short of a ‘huge victory.’
Blake Lively, 38, and Justin Baldoni, 42, reportedly spent a combined $60 million in legal fees throughout their lengthy legal battle: (L) Lively seen in 2025, (R) Baldoni seen in February
Freedman said that Baldoni already felt like a winner in April, when a judge dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims, in an interview with TMZ.
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‘He could breathe again. To be accused of sexual harassment on such a public level is devastating,’ he said.
‘What he went through is just… I get emotional speaking about it, because he’s such a great human being.’
The shock settlement came just two weeks before the case was due to go to trial in New York.
In a joint statement, both sides said that the filming of the movie ‘presented challenges’ and that Lively’s ‘concerns deserved to be heard.’
But there was no apology, only a call for everyone to move on ‘in peace’.
The lack of a financial settlement was a sharp contrast to Lively’s requests to be compensated for the damage to her reputation and film career.
The former ‘Gossip Girl’ star claimed in court documents that she lost as much as $40.5 million due to being branded a ‘mean girl’ and a ‘bully’.
Did this legal battle expose Hollywood toxicity – or become a celebrity PR war that spiralled out of control?
Lively did not get a single dollar from Baldoni after settling her lawsuit against his film production company two weeks before trial; Lively seen with her lawyer Michael Gottlieb
Lively was also represented by top litigator Esra Hudson (pictured)
Baldoni was represented by legal eagle Bryan Freedman (seen in 2025) who celebrated the settlement on Tuesday, declaring the result for Baldoni nothing short of a ‘huge victory’
Baldoni’s team also consisted of seasoned trial attorney Ellyn Garofalo (pictured)
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.
It is unclear who pays the multi-million legal bills for each side, however Lively can count on support from her husband Ryan Reynolds, who is worth a reported $400 million.
Baldoni has been supported throughout the trial by his friend, entrepreneur Steve Sarowitz, who co-founded Wayfarer and is worth up to $3.4 billion through his payment processing company.
Baldoni’s personal net worth is estimated to be between $4 million and $8 million thanks to his share of the profits from It Ends With Us, which made more than $350 million in worldwide box office receipts.
The Daily Mail understands that Lively was the sticking point to a potential settlement even though her team were urging her to end the case months ago.
Meanwhile, legal documents from the settled case revealed that Lively’s team was spiraling as major corporate partners voiced concerns over the It Ends With Us press backlash, according to emails and text messages obtained by TMZ on Tuesday.
Lively was pictured arriving at the Met Gala on Monday, just hours after news about her surprise settlement with Baldoni broke
A VP at Kroger reportedly told Lively’s team at Betty Booze – her alcohol company – that the supermarket was ‘closely monitoring sales’ and expected a ‘negative impact’ due to her movie interviews, and asked how she planned to ‘course correct’ with her audience.
Both Princess Cruises and the railroad company Brightline also expressed hesitation to the Betty Booze team.
The executive VP of Brightline requested to ‘hold for a minute’ on a marketing partnership until the negative ‘chatter’ around the actress died down.
Lively was allegedly planning to use the report as evidence of how her brand was negatively impacted in her trial against Baldoni, before they settled.
Lively sued her director and It Ends With Us co-star Baldoni for sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her on December 31, 2024.
The surprise settlement came after a judge last month sensationally gutted Lively’s case, dismissing ten of her 13 claims, including all of the sexual harassment allegations.
The trial was still due to kick off on May 18, but covering only three counts: retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of an agreement, known as the Contract Rider.
The ruling also meant that Baldoni was no longer a named defendant in the case. Instead, Wayfarer, along with the company he set up to make It Ends With Us and TAG PR, was due to go on trial for the alleged ‘smear campaign’ against Lively. It denied the claims.
The settlement marked the end of a two-year legal battle over the fallout from the 2024 movie It Ends with Us; Lively and Baldoni seen on set in 2024
Baldoni and Wayfarer had countersued Lively and her husband Reynolds for $400 million, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The judge dismissed the claims last June.
At the center of the case were several incidents Lively claimed amounted to sexual harassment, including: Baldoni allegedly adding unscripted sexual moments, one of his personal friends playing a doctor during a birthing scene on an insufficiently closed set, and the movie’s producer, Jamey Heath, allegedly barging into her trailer while she was topless. These allegations were thrown out.
The settlement marked the end of a two-year legal battle over the fallout from It Ends with Us.
The film, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August 2024, exceeding box office expectations with a $50 million debut.
