Blake Lively’s Legal Price Tag Could Lead Justin Baldoni To ‘Financial Collapse,’ Insiders Claim
The It Ends With Us legal battle may be winding down, but Justin Baldoni is reportedly facing an even more daunting challenge when it comes to the staggering cost of the fight.
In late June, Lively filed a motion seeking $8,035,040.88 in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs from Baldoni after his defamation lawsuit against her was dismissed, according to court documents obtained by People.
However, Baldoni is fighting back against Lively’s legal team over recouping their costs. “Lively fails to meet her burden to present credible evidence showing that the fees and costs she seeks to recover are reasonable and, accordingly, her fee motion should be denied in its entirety,” a July 13 filing from Baldoni argued while claiming her attorneys charged “excessive” hourly rates.
Blake Lively at the 2026 Met Gala
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
In late July, his production company Wayfarer Studios was ordered by the New York Supreme Court to pay the legal fees of The New York Times after the defamation lawsuit was dismissed in June 2025. That bill totals $171,616.20, per USA Today.
It’s an astronomical amount of money that he might not have. “People assume Justin is sitting on a Hollywood fortune because he’s famous,” a source told Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack. “The truth is, he isn’t. He doesn’t have anything close to the cash needed to cover a bill like this.”
Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Baldoni is worth around $8 million from his role on the TV series, Jane the Virgin, and his directing career, but the legal case has taken its toll. “The phone stopped ringing,” Shuter’s source continued. “Whether it’s deserved or not, this case made him toxic in the eyes of a lot of studios. People don’t want the baggage.”
In February, the 42-year-old actor listed his Ojai, California estate on the market for $8.88 million. It’s unclear whether the residence sold, but Baldoni and his wife, Emily, had tried to rent out the property first for $40,000 per month. The couple has since left California for a fresh start in Tennessee.
Shuter’s source seems to think that Baldoni’s economic situation is precarious, describing it as a possible “financial collapse” as Baldoni tries to get his career back on track.
Baldoni’s company still owns the rights to the It Ends With Us sequel, It Starts With Us, and he’s producing the biopic Dinner with Audrey, starring Thomasin McKenzie.
Before you go, click here to see celebrity co-stars who allegedly hated each other in real life.
