Judge orders Justin Baldoni to pay only $400k of Blake Lively’s $8m fee request

A U.S. judge has cut the legal-fee award in Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, granting the actor just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman, found that Lively was entitled only to “reasonable” fees and that the hours she billed were excessive.

Judge limits fees to “reasonable” amount

According to reporting cited by The Guardian and People, Judge Liman determined that Lively’s request for reimbursement covered an unreasonable number of hours. The court awarded her just over $400,000 (R6,384,120) toward the $8 million she had asked Baldoni to pay.

Media work excluded from recoverable costs

People reported the judge’s reasoning that

“Media relations were not integral to defending the defamation claim brought against Lively. Accordingly, time spent on media relations and press coverage is not compensable.”

The decision therefore disallowed time spent on media management from the fees the court would cover.

Couple speaks after legal fight

In July, Justin Baldoni and his wife, Emily, addressed the public after months of silence during the legal proceedings. In a video they said they had remained quiet because they “didn’t want to add to the noise” and expressed gratitude to supporters. Baldoni said:

“There were so many of you who, when we didn’t have a voice, were our voice… you have given your time to fight for us, and thank you does not feel like enough… when God presses the reset button and when everything else is stripped away, that that’s when love shows up.”

What the ruling means

The ruling limits the amount of legal fees recoverable by Lively by applying a standard of reasonableness to billing hours and excluding media-relations work. The judge’s findings reduce the portion of costs Baldoni is required to pay, while leaving the broader legal history between the parties as reported.