Blake Lively was denied a bid for punitive and treble damages against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni in a Los Angeles court ruling this month, but the judge ordered Baldoni to cover her legal fees and litigation costs linked to his failed counterclaim, according to People Magazine. The decision comes after months of bitter legal wrangling between Blake Lively, 38, and Baldoni, 42, over their work together on the troubled 2024 film adaptation.
The court's order followed news that the pair had settled their wider 'legal drama' over It Ends With Us, a project that once looked like a glossy star vehicle and ended up spawning duelling lawsuits. In the aftermath of filming, Lively accused Baldoni and others of sexual harassment and retaliation on set, while Baldoni responded with an explosive countersuit accusing the actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist of extortion and defamation. His case was ultimately thrown out by a judge, setting the stage for the latest fight over who should pay the cost of that failed legal offensive.
