00:00Blake Lively is demanding Justin Baldoni pay her over $8 million in legal fees,
00:05according to new court documents obtained by Page Six.
00:08In the filing submitted on June 29th in New York,
00:11the actress's lawyer said she's seeking just under $7.5 million in attorney fees
00:16and over $539,000 in litigation costs and expenses,
00:22all stemming from her explosive legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and director
00:26and his production company Wayfarer Studios.
00:30Lively's legal team said the work required to defeat Baldoni's since-dismissed $400 million defamation suit
00:36was, quote, comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured.
00:41The attorneys added that Lively has paid and continues to pay her legal bills
00:45and will seek any additional attorney's fees incurred in the latest legal request.
00:50Lively's filing also mentioned significant press attention
00:53with thousands of indexed and syndicated media articles that increased the legal cost of the case,
00:58which included over 7,000 documents produced by the Gossip Girl alum.
01:04Judge Louis J. Lyman ordered Baldoni and Wayfarer to respond to her request by July 13th.
01:10After that, the judge will decide whether to reward the full amount,
01:13reduce it, or deny the request completely.
01:16Here's what Lively's attorneys told Page Six in a statement.
01:19Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation
01:24have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so.
01:28The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes,
01:33and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation
01:38for speaking the truth.
01:39Earlier this month, Lively won her bid to seek legal fees from Baldoni.
01:44However, the judge denied her bid for triple damages and punitive damages,
01:48which she can still seek by other means, such as an independent lawsuit or a counterclaim.
01:53After two long years, it all came crashing down back in April.
01:58The judge threw out 10 of Lively's 13 claims, including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.
02:04Claims of breach of contract and retaliation remained.
02:08But then on May 4th, just minutes before Lively stunned at the Met Gala,
02:12and two weeks before their trial was set to begin,
02:15the Hollywood star settled her 2024 lawsuit against her co-star.
02:19Both parties claimed victory.
02:21The two actors walked away with no money in their lawsuit settlement.
02:25However, sources told Page Six Hollywood that their legal teams made $60 million combined.
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