Baldoni Balks at Paying Lively's $8M Bill

Justin Baldoni says Blake Lively's legal tab shouldn't come anywhere near $8 million. In a new filing, the actor and his company Wayfarer Studios urge a federal judge to reject or sharply reduce Lively's request for roughly $7.5 million in attorneys' fees plus more than $500,000 in litigation costs as a result of their legal battle, calling the billing rates and hours "excessive" and the case overstaffed, per People. They point to the New York Times' request for about $182,000 in a "motion to dismiss precisely the same defamation claim" as a more reasonable benchmark, adding the request for "whopping" litigation costs "should be denied in its entirety," per Page Six.

Lively settled her sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, who directed and starred with her in the film It Ends With Us. After Baldoni's defamation lawsuits against Lively and the Times were dismissed, the judge ruled Lively could seek reimbursement of fees under a California law protecting people from retaliatory actions. Lively's team says the fees reflect an unusually high-profile, document-heavy battle amid "extensive media coverage." Judge Lewis Liman now has to decide how much Baldoni must pay. The actor and his wife released a video last week commenting on the "trauma" resulting from the case.