Judge Rules Justin Baldoni Must Pay Blake Lively’s Legal Fees Under California’s Anti‑retaliation Law

Overview

• The parties reached an 11th‑hour settlement that dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit and preserved Lively’s claim under California’s Protecting Survivors From Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act.
• A federal judge found that Section 47.1 allows Blake Lively to recover her attorneys’ fees but does not permit compensatory or punitive damages under the statute.
• Baldoni’s lawyer published the full settlement this week and said the agreement bars future appeals on his dismissed counterclaims and aims to let the parties move on.
• The only remaining court task is a judge’s calculation of the specific fee award that Baldoni and his production company must pay to Lively.
• Legal observers say the narrow federal reading of the 2023 law sets an early test of its reach and could shape how survivors and defendants approach retaliatory‑defamation claims going forward.