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Blake Lively Presses Fee and Damages Bid After Settlement With Justin Baldoni

A judge will rule under a 2023 California statute that shields harassment reports from retaliatory defamation claims.

Overview

  • The notice of settlement, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, preserves Lively’s motion under California Civil Code §47.1, a 2023 law that can award attorneys’ fees and treble and punitive damages to people sued after reporting harassment.
  • Lively and Baldoni settled Monday less than two weeks before a May 18 trial, and multiple outlets report no money changed hands in the deal.
  • Both sides waived any appeal in the settlement, leaving U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman to decide whether Lively recovers fees and enhanced damages.
  • Lively’s request ties to her status as the prevailing defendant on Baldoni’s $400 million defamation countersuit, which Judge Liman dismissed in June 2025.
  • Judge Liman’s April order cut 10 of Lively’s 13 claims and removed Baldoni as an individual defendant, narrowing the case that the late settlement kept from going to a public jury trial.