TLDR
Blake Lively has returned to court against Justin Baldoni, asking a Manhattan judge to make her former co-star cover the legal costs of his failed $400 million defamation lawsuit.
The legal war between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was supposed to be over. Instead, the “It Ends With Us” co-stars are headed back to a Manhattan courtroom, this time to fight over who pays for the damage left behind.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Judge Lewis Liman has ordered both stars to appear in federal court to address damages tied to Baldoni’s dismissed $400 million defamation case against Lively. The new filings show Lively, 38, is asking that Baldoni, 42, be held responsible for her legal fees and other costs from defending that lawsuit.
It is not yet clear how much Lively is seeking. What is clear is that neither side walked away with a check when they quietly settled their sprawling dispute. Page Six reported that Lively and Baldoni spent a combined $60 million over 18 months of litigation, yet neither received a payout in the settlement agreement.
The courtroom saga grew out of dueling lawsuits that turned a buzzy onscreen pairing into a real-life standoff. Lively filed a 2023 lawsuit that accused Baldoni and associates of conspiracy, sexual harassment, and defamation, among other claims. A federal judge later dismissed 10 of her 13 allegations, and the case was headed toward a May trial before the parties reached a settlement in early May.
Baldoni had launched his own legal offensive first. His $400 million defamation suit targeted Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and was dismissed in June 2025. At the time, Judge Liman wrote that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged.”
When the settlement arrived, both sides rushed to claim the upper hand in the court of public opinion. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, went on “TMZ Live” and called the resolution a “huge victory” for his client. He said Lively agreed to settle because she was “scared” to testify at trial, adding of the chance to question her on the stand, “It was an incredible opportunity, and I do not think you pass up an incredible opportunity.”
Lively’s camp swiftly pushed back. In a statement to Page Six, they described the agreement as a “resounding victory” for the actress and mother of four. Her team said that by acknowledging that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard,” the defendants ended what they called the fiction that she had “fabricated” allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation.
This latest filing over fees raises the stakes again. By asking the judge to make Baldoni pay her legal bills from his defamation suit, Lively is no longer seeking only moral vindication. The move suggests she wants the court record to reflect that she should never have had to defend herself against those particular claims in the first place.
For Baldoni, an actor-turned-producer and director whose Wayfarer Studios backed “It Ends With Us,” any ruling on costs will be weighed alongside the earlier dismissal of his case. For Lively, whose public image blends red carpet glamour, sharp humor, and devoted motherhood, the question now is whether the court will back her bid to shift the financial burden of a legal fight that neither side officially won.
Judge Liman will decide whether Baldoni must write another check or whether both stars will be left to absorb their sky-high legal bills. On paper, their settlement closed the case. In reality, the final chapter of Blake Lively versus Justin Baldoni is still being written in a New York courtroom.
Do you see Lively’s push for legal fees as a final bid for accountability, or should both stars simply walk away from this courtroom war? Share your take on where this leaves their careers, reputations, and the future of “It Ends With Us.”
