Overview
- Baldoni and his company Wayfarer and Blake Lively reached a settlement on May 4 that ended their core litigation, barred future related claims, and included a joint public statement.
- U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled on June 12 that Baldoni must pay Lively’s attorneys’ fees under California’s Protecting Survivors From Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act (Section 47.1) but denied her requests for compensatory or punitive damages.
- Lively has asked the court for between seven and 30 extra days to file detailed billing records and briefs on the proper fee award because of scheduling conflicts and travel, and the judge has not yet ruled on the extension.
- Baldoni’s lawyer publicly released the full settlement and said the parties wanted finality, leaving the court only to calculate the amount Baldoni must pay in fees.
- Legal observers say the case is an early federal test of Section 47.1, showing the law can shift fees for certain retaliatory defamation claims while federal procedure limits other remedies, and the fee ruling could affect how similar harassment and defamation disputes are handled.