RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Rolling Stone — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 4 sources
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Justin Baldoni must pay Blake Lively a little more than $400,000 of the $8 million she sought for attorneys' fees, according to The Associated Press . The judgment follows the settlement Baldoni and Lively reached following lawsuits related to Baldoni's alleged misconduct on the set of It Ends With Us .
She is now to receive $363,245.40 in lawyers' fees and $44,206.35 in costs. Her lawyers previously requested $7,495,526.87 in fees and and $539,514.01 in costs and expenses.
Judge Lewis J. Liman, who wrote his decision in Manhattan, said that a California law limits the amount of legal fees Lively could recoup. The law was meant to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits. He interpreted the law to mean that Baldoni would reimburse her only for what she paid to defend herself against defamation claims, rather than every claim Baldoni lodged at her.
Bryan Freedman, who represents Baldoni, told TMZ he respected Section 47.1, which is meant to protect "real survivors" but suggested the law "was applied in ways it was never intended for." But he still sees it as a win for Baldoni. "The ruling is a significant victory for my clients and sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain," he said. (Freedman did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone 's request for comment.)
"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 attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, said in a statement to Rolling Stone . "This first-ever award of fees and costs under this California law is historic, and demonstrates that there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits. As we have said from day one, Blake Lively's case was never about money — it was about accountability." Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.