ToplineA court granted actress Blake Lively just over $400,000 in attorney’s fees and other costs following her now-settled legal battle against “It Ends With Us” director and star Justin Baldoni—but the sum is a fraction of the $8 million she asked for.Lively had asked a court for about $8 million in attorney's fees and costs. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Associated PressKey FactsU.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman awarded Lively $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs on Wednesday, a sum totaling more than $407,000.But Liman denied much of Lively’s $8 million request for attorney’s fees and costs, saying the “number of hours for which Lively seeks reimbursement is unreasonable.”Liman denied some of Lively’s requests for various reasons, including a request for time spent working on media relations, which the court said is “not compensable,” and a request for administrative work, which the court said is “not compensable at attorney or paralegal rates.”Liman also said some of the records Lively submitted to the court detailing requests for compensation are partially redacted or vague, which “render it difficult to determine what work was performed, on what motion, and in which action,” which leaves the court discretion to reduce payments.Liman’s order says Lively is entitled to compensation for “reasonable” attorney’s fees, saying the fees her attorneys charged are “not unreasonable” because the case “presented substantial financial and reputational risks for all parties” and was “extremely well-litigated.”Forbes has reached out to representatives for Lively and Baldoni for comment.How Did Lively Respond To The Attorney’s Fees Ruling?“Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties lost their meritless retaliatory $400 million lawsuit, which two different courts held was designed to stifle public criticism and silence Blake Lively and others,” Lively’s lawyers Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb told Forbes, adding, “As we have said from day one, Blake Lively’s case was never about money – it was about accountability.” They said Lively’s compensation award is “historic” as the “first-ever award of fees and costs” under a California law meant to allow sexual abuse accusers to seek compensation following retaliatory defamation lawsuits.Lively Requested $8 Million In Attorney’s FeesA court filing Lively’s lawyers made in June said the actress intended to seek nearly $7.5 million in attorney’s fees and about $540,000 in additional costs, totaling around $8 million. Baldoni’s lawyers attacked the request as “stunning,” accusing her of inflating the hours her attorneys worked on the case and requesting compensation for much more than “reasonable fees for work necessary to defend Wayfarer’s defamation claim.” Baldoni’s lawyers urged the court to deny the request in its entirety or “substantially reduce” it. A judge had previously granted Lively’s request to seek attorney’s fees and costs, but denied her request for punitive damages, saying the request fell outside the “carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.”key backgroundLively and Baldoni co-starred in the 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni also directed. Though the movie was a box office hit, the film was eventually overshadowed by a sprawling legal battle that began months after it hit theaters, as Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a California civil rights complaint, then in a federal lawsuit. The New York Times then published an article detailing an alleged smear campaign Baldoni’s team wielded against her. Baldoni, in response, sued the Times for libel, which was dismissed, and sued Lively for defamation. Baldoni’s suit against Lively was dismissed, while much of Lively’s suit against Baldoni was tossed by a judge, leaving only three of her 13 claims to head to trial. The trial was set to begin in May of this year until the parties announced they had reached a settlement agreement.further readingJustin Baldoni Challenges Blake Lively’s ‘Stunning’ Request For Nearly $8 Million In Attorney’s Fees (Forbes)