What's happened
The ruling holds that Blake Lively can recover legal fees and costs related to defending against Justin Baldoni’s countersuit arising from the 2024 It Ends With Us dispute. Punitive damages are not granted; most claims are settled as the trial looms.
What's behind the headline?
Key angles
- The judge has clarified fee-shifting for survivors of alleged harassment, limiting treble damages and punitive awards.
- This case underscores how California’s anti-retaliation statute functions within defamation responses.
- The settlement pace and the near-trial posture shape expectations for how similar claims may be handled in Hollywood productions.
Takeaways
- Legal fees are recoverable for defense against a countersuit when the underlying defamation claim is dismissed.
- The decision emphasizes malice as the threshold for punitive or trebled damages, which the court finds not proven here.
- The outcome may influence future harassment-retaliation claims in entertainment industry disputes.
How we got here
The dispute stems from It Ends With Us, the 2024 film adaptation. Lively sued Baldoni in 2024 for harassment and retaliation. Court rulings have repeatedly limited the relief sought and clarified who pays fees under California law.
Our analysis
AP News (Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:52:14 +0100); Independent Business (Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:52:14 +0100); New York Times Business (Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:21:31 +0100)\n- The Guardian (Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:59:25 +0100)\n- Associated Press (Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:52:14 +0100)
Go deeper
- What are the financial implications for Lively’s team in ongoing settlements?
- How does this ruling affect future defamation-retaliation cases in Hollywood?
- Could similar fee-shifting be invoked in other jurisdictions?
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