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Justin Baldoni’s lawyers seek to block Blake Lively’s damages push

Nbcwashington · · 405 words · By Marlene Lenthang; Adam Reiss; NBC News
Legal Dispute Celebrity Conflict
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What to know about Legal Dispute

Justin Baldoni’s attorneys asked a judge on Friday to reject any future proceedings related to Blake Lively’s request to recover legal fees and compensatory damages that were incurred during the “It Ends With Us” legal dispute.

Claims checked 15
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center88%
Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Justin Baldoni’s attorneys asked a judge on Friday to reject any future proceedings related to Blake Lively’s request to recover legal fees and compensatory damages that were incurred during the “It Ends With Us” legal dispute.

Why it matters

Though the former co-stars announced a surprise settlement earlier this week, Lively’s legal team said it is seeking legal fees from Baldoni and his partners related to a countersuit Baldoni filed in January 2025 (which was later tossed out).

Common ground

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Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/justin-baldoni-la…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 5
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “A source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News that no money changed hands [in the settlement].”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web results confirm that no money changed hands in the settlement, citing court filings and sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — As the legal dispute between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively continues, a new court filing confirms their settlement agreement includes no financial payout to her.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/movies/blake-lively-justi…
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web search NEUTRAL — justin baldoni blake lively shutterstock sub swipe. Shutterstock / Jose Perez. The winners, as you know -- lawyers on both sides, who clearly made MILLIONS from the protracted case.
https://www.tmz.com/2026/05/05/lively-vs-baldoni-settlement-…
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web search NEUTRAL — New monetary details regarding Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s surprise It Ends With Us legal settlement have been revealed. A source tells Us Weekly that no money was exchanged between Lively, 38, …
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/blake-livelys…
schedule
Claim 2: “Liman formally signed off on the settlement”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 3: “In April, Liman also dismissed most of Lively’s claims against Baldoni, including harassment, defamation and conspiracy.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 4: “The “It Ends With Us” legal fight... lasted a year-and-a-half”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated search results (Britney Spears, CanLII, Reuters homepage) and does not mention the duration of the 'It Ends With Us' legal fight.
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web search NEUTRAL — On November 12, Penny formally terminated the conservatorship. The dispute and subsequent termination made Spears a symbol of conservatorship law reform and human rights across the United States, and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_Spears_conservatorship…
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web search NEUTRAL — CanLII is a non-profit organization managed by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. CanLII's goal is to make Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet. This website provides access to cou…
https://www.canlii.org/
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web search NEUTRAL — Find latest news from every corner of the globe at Reuters.com, your online source for breaking international news coverage.
https://www.reuters.com/
help
Claim 5: “In Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit, which he filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the actor-director claimed that Lively and her “Deadpool” actor husband Ryan Reynolds tried to wreck his reputation”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results for this specific claim regarding a $400 million countersuit naming Ryan Reynolds.
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Claim 6: “Lively... [requested] relief under California Civil Code Section 47.1.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Lively's attorneys are arguing for relief/liability under California Civil Code Section 47.1.
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web search NEUTRAL — Lively’s attorneys argue Baldoni is liable to pay under California Civil Code Section 47.1, which aims to protect victims of sexual harassment from retaliatory defamation lawsuits.
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/did-blake-liv…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — California Civil Code Section 47.1, which took effect in 2024, is designed to protect people who publicly report allegations of sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims.
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/blake-l…
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web search NEUTRAL — Perhaps, but with California’s Section 47.1 putting Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer co-founder Steve Sarowitz, flack Melissa Nathan, her TAG company, and fellow publicist Jennifer Abel on the hook for some b…
https://deadline.com/2026/05/blake-lively-settlement-details…
verified
Claim 7: “Ellyn Garofalo, an attorney for Baldoni, urged U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman to reject Lively’s request”
VERIFIED
A specific news report identifies attorney Ellyn Garofalo as the one urging U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman to reject the request.
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web search NEUTRAL — Ellyn Garofalo, an attorney for Baldoni, urged U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman to reject Lively’s request, arguing that she has already settled her remaining claims without Baldoni or his studio, W…
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/justin-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Lively's Met Gala return coincided with a legal settlement with Justin Baldoni, sparking public outrage and calls for her ban from future events.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/blake-lively-met-gala-controversy-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Judge Lewis Liman tossed Baldoni and gang’s countersuit in June last year, but he never offered a ruling on the contention of Lively’s lawyers that California’s Protecting Survivors from Weaponized De…
https://deadline.com/2026/05/blake-lively-settlement-details…
schedule
Claim 8: “Lively’s lawyers on Thursday requested to file a supplemental brief “to address any impact of the Court’s intervening rulings” on their request for compensatory damages and legal fees”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 9: “Liman dismissed the case [Baldoni's countersuit].”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 10: “The statute [California Civil Code Section 47.1] is designed to protect people who publicly report allegations of sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly describe California Civil Code Section 47.1 as being designed to protect people reporting sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims.
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Claim 11: “Justin Baldoni’s attorneys asked a judge on Friday to reject any future proceedings related to Blake Lively’s request to recover legal fees and compensatory damages that were incurred during the “It Ends With Us” legal dispute.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Justin Baldoni's attorneys asked a judge to reject Blake Lively's request for legal fees and compensatory damages.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Justin Baldoni’s attorneys asked a judge on Friday to reject any future proceedings related to Blake Lively’s request to recover legal fees and compensatory damages that were incurred during the “It E…
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/justin-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Baldoni’s and Lively’s legal teams announced the It Ends With Us costars’ settlement hours before the Met Gala on Monday. The case had been set to go to trial in two weeks.
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/blake-livelys…
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web search NEUTRAL — Actor Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle over It Ends With Us is far from over, with Blake’s legal team now pursuing damages and legal fees from Justin’s side over his defamation countersu…
https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/blake…
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Claim 12: “the former co-stars announced a surprise settlement earlier this week”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources report a surprise settlement between the co-stars, with one specifically mentioning it occurred on Monday, May 4, hours before the Met Gala.
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web search NEUTRAL — In October 2010, Bieber released his first book, Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story, an autobiography with text from Bieber and photographs from Robert Caplin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bieber
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web search NEUTRAL — Justin Bieber - Live from Paris (Livestream) Justin Bieber 30M views • Streamed 5 years ago 3:36
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwFjwMjI0y7PDBVEO9-bkQ
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web search NEUTRAL — Explore Justin Bieber's official site for music, merchandise, and updates on his latest projects.
https://www.justinbiebermusic.com/
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Claim 13: “He allowed three of her claims to proceed to trial: breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 14: “she has already settled her remaining claims without Baldoni or his studio, Wayfarer, “paying a cent of the $300 million in damages she was demanding.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about the '$300 million in damages' is mentioned in one source describing Ellyn Garofalo's argument; other sources confirm the settlement had no payout but do not specify the $300 million figure.
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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Ellender Brown was born on August 25, 1987, [2] in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. [3] Her mother, Elaine Lively (née McAlpin), worked as a talent scout, and her father, Ern…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Lively
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Blake Lively is an American actress who first garnered attention for her role in the coming-of-age comedy-drama The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005). Lively then became a star with…
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Blake-Lively
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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Ellender Lively was born Blake Ellender Brown on August 25, 1987 in Los Angeles, California to Elaine Lively & Ernie Lively. Her brother is actor Eric Lively, and her half-siblings are actors Lo…
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0515116/
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Claim 15: “Lively’s legal team said it is seeking legal fees from Baldoni and his partners related to a countersuit Baldoni filed in January 2025 (which was later tossed out).”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Lively's team is seeking fees and damages related to a defamation countersuit filed by Baldoni that was subsequently dismissed.
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web search NEUTRAL — Lively's team is now seeking legal fees and damages from Baldoni's side related to his since-dismissed defamation countersuit.
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/blake-l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Blake Lively 's alleged feud with director and costar Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us exploded into multiple lawsuits in 2025. The former Gossip Girl star kicked off the legal ...
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/blake-lively-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Lively's lawyers said in court docs that she is "entitled" to damages and attorney fees paid for by Justin Baldoni after his countersuit against her was dismissed.
https://www.eonline.com/news/1422280/blake-lively-wants-just…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.