Blake Lively has handed Justin Baldoni a hefty bill after a judge awarded her legal fees and costs related to her defense against his countersuit in response to her December 2024 sexual harassment lawsuit.Last month, the It Ends with Us co-stars reached a shock settlement in their contentious battle over accusations of sexual harassment and an alleged subsequent smear campaign during the production of their romance drama film. Following the settlement, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that the Gossip Girl alum, 38, was entitled to recover some legal costs from Baldoni, but not punitive damages or other relief she sought.More than two weeks after the ruling, Lively submitted an eye-watering bill for $8,035,040.88, according to Deadline. “Lively respectfully requests the Court award her reasonable attorneys’ fees of $7,495,526.87 and costs in the amount of $539,514.01,” read a new filing submitted by Lively’s lawyers. A judge awarded Blake Lively legal costs linked to a defense against a countersuit filed by Justin Baldoni (Getty)In his ruling, Liman cited a California law aimed at protecting survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits intended to silence or intimidate them.The law requires plaintiffs to pay defendants’ legal costs if a defamation claim brought in response to a lawsuit is dismissed, even if evidence in the case has not been fully developed.Liman said the only exception would be if Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, could prove that Lively acted with malice in suing him. He said that Baldoni and Wayfarer had provided little evidence to support such a claim and none establishing that she had acted with malice.Lively co-starred opposite Baldoni in ‘It Ends with Us,’ which he also directed (Sony Pictures)Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Lively had originally sued Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, accusing the Jane the Virgin star, 42, of misconduct on the set of It Ends with Us and of organizing a sophisticated smear campaign to undermine her reputation.Baldoni later filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for allegedly attempting to “destroy” his reputation and career. A judge tossed out the lawsuit in November 2025. “The Wayfarer Parties employed scorched-earth litigation tactics designed to drain Lively’s resources,” the recent filing continued, “including a near-daily press campaign promoting their sham lawsuit, propounding expansive and irrelevant discovery demands, obstructing discovery directed at them and affiliated third parties, and forcing Lively to seek frequent relief from the Court to reign in their abusive docket filings.”Hailing Liman’s “landmark decision,” Lively’s lead lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson added to Deadline: “Those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so.“The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth.”