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[SITUATION] · [QUIET] · [CULTURE]
5 clusters · 74 sources · 36 days · First seen · Last updated
Lively-Wayfarer and Wallace legal disputes
Overview
In late July 2026, a New York Supreme Court judge granted summary judgment for The New York Times, ordering Justin Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, to reimburse the newspaper $171,616 in legal fees. The ruling applied New York’s anti-SLAPP statute after Baldoni’s $250 million defamation suit against the Times—centered on reporting about Blake Lively’s harassment allegations during the film “It Ends With Us”—was dismissed.
In August 2026, the legal conflicts expanded. Public-relations specialist Jed Wallace sought to depose Lively to determine if she made false statements in his firm’s administrative complaint. Lively, who is pursuing roughly $800,000 in attorney fees from Wallace following the dismissal of his defamation suit, missed a scheduled August 4 deposition, with her counsel labeling the notice “null and void.”
Later in August 2026, a federal judge issued a ruling regarding the long-standing dispute between Lively and Baldoni. District Judge Lewis Liman awarded Lively approximately $407,451 in legal fees and court costs, consisting of $363,245 in attorney fees and $44,206 in costs. While Lively had originally sought over $8 million, the judge determined that the number of hours for which she sought reimbursement was “unreasonable” and that some documentation, such as original invoices, was incomplete. Judge Liman described the original request as an “outrageously unreasonable demand.” The ruling specifically excluded hours related to public relations and media management. The award is to be paid by Wayfarer Studios, following the settlement of their 18-month legal battle in May 2026. Lively’s legal team described the award as “historic,” while Baldoni’s attorney called the ruling a “significant victory” because the award was only about 5% of the initial request. By the end of August 2026, reports emerged suggesting that Lively’s legal challenges may have coincided with personal setbacks, including a reported rift with Taylor Swift.
Entities
Blake Lively · Justin Baldoni · Wayfarer Studios · Lewis Liman · It Ends With Us
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 9 SOURCES] Blake Lively was awarded $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in court costs. desitalkchicago.com · pulptastic.com · srnnews.com · www.thehollywoodgossip.com · www.comingsoon.net · +4 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] Lively originally requested approximately $8 million in total legal fees and costs. desitalkchicago.com · pulptastic.com · srnnews.com · www.thehollywoodgossip.com · www.comingsoon.net · +4 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] Judge Lewis Liman ruled that the number of hours Lively sought reimbursement for was unreasonable. desitalkchicago.com · pulptastic.com · srnnews.com · www.comingsoon.net · www.sheknows.com · +3 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Lively and Baldoni settled their legal dispute in May 2026. desitalkchicago.com · srnnews.com · www.comingsoon.net · www.sheknows.com · www.latimes.com · +1 more
- [● 4 SOURCES] The award was based on a California law intended to protect survivors of sexual harassment from retaliatory lawsuits. pulptastic.com · srnnews.com · www.hollywoodreporter.com · www.latimes.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against Lively was previously dismissed. desitalkchicago.com · pulptastic.com · www.sheknows.com · www.latimes.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Wayfarer Studios is responsible for paying the awarded legal fees. pulptastic.com · srnnews.com · www.comingsoon.net
- [● 3 SOURCES] Judge Lewis Liman awarded Blake Lively more than $400,000 in legal expenses. cretaone.gr · www.reader.gr · www.madata.gr
- [● 3 SOURCES] Blake Lively was awarded $363,245.40 for attorney fees. cretaone.gr · www.reader.gr · www.madata.gr
- [● 3 SOURCES] Blake Lively was awarded $44,206.35 for other court costs. cretaone.gr · www.reader.gr · www.madata.gr
- [● 3 SOURCES] Blake Lively originally sought $8 million in legal expenses. cretaone.gr · www.reader.gr · www.madata.gr
- [● 3 SOURCES] The two parties reached a settlement in May, leaving only the issue of legal expenses unresolved. cretaone.gr · www.reader.gr · www.madata.gr
Timeline
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11 days ago
[CULTURE] 8 sourcesBlake Lively awarded significantly less in legal fee dispute with Justin BaldoniA New York judge awarded actress Blake Lively only $407,000 in legal fees, a fraction of the $8 million she sought following her legal dispute with co-star Justin Baldoni.
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14 days ago
[CULTURE] 2 sourcesBlake Lively awarded $407,000 in legal fee dispute with Justin BaldoniJudge Lewis Liman awarded Blake Lively approximately $407,000 in legal fees following her dispute with Justin Baldoni, a fraction of the $8 million she originally requested.
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16 days ago
[CULTURE] 65 sourcesBlake Lively awarded $400,000 in legal fees from Justin BaldoniA New York federal judge ordered Justin Baldoni to pay Blake Lively approximately $407,000 in legal fees, significantly less than the $8 million she requested following their legal dispute.
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about 1 month ago
[CULTURE] 3 sourcesBlake Lively Ordered to Appear for Deposition in Ongoing Legal Fee DisputeBlake Lively must face a deposition requested by PR specialist Jed Wallace as she seeks $800,000 in legal fees after his defamation suit was dismissed.
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about 2 months ago
[CULTURE] 13 sourcesWayfarer Studios Ordered to Pay $171,616 to New York TimesWayfarer Studios must pay $171,616 in legal fees to The New York Times after a defamation suit over Blake Lively allegations was dismissed, with the court invoking anti‑SLAPP rules.
Sources
1057thepoint.com · 1067wjjy.com · bhaskarlive.in · ca.sports.yahoo.com · capital.pe · cnn.gr · comingsoon.net · cremation.com · cretaone.gr · dailymail.co.uk · dan.co.me · deia.eus · desitalkchicago.com · dete.gr · diariocoimbra.pt · diariodecanoas.com.br · easterneye.biz · elperiodicousa.com · english.alsiasi.com · english.publictv.in · excelsior.com.mx · film.wp.pl · globalnews.ca · hola.com · hollywoodreporter.com · home.dgabc.com.br · hugogloss.uol.com.br · ibtimes.co.uk · ibtimes.com.au · iltalehti.fi · independent.co.uk · internewscast.com · iwoman.bg · kixi.com · ks95.com · latimes.com · lavanguardia.com · linda.nl · lucesdelsiglo.com.mx · madata.gr · minuto30.com · montecristinoticias.com · mymotherlode.com · newsbytesapp.com · newsday.com · newsmobile.in · nezavisen.mk · noticiasdeNavarra.com
This summary has been updated 6 times: see revision history