Blake Energetic’s lawyer is addressing claims that the actress and Justin Baldoni spent a whopping $60 million on dueling lawsuits.
On Monday, May 4, the It Ends With Us costars announced that they’d settled their legal battle after Energetic, 38, sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios for sexual harassment, retaliation and breach of contract, amongst other claims, in December 2024. Baldoni filed a countersuit against Energetic in January 2025, which was dismissed that June, and last month a judge gutted 10 of the 13 claims in Energetic’s lawsuit, including sexual harassment.
Nevertheless, just because it seemed the drama had come to an end, on Thursday, May 7, Energetic filed a request for damages as a part of the settlement, accusing Baldoni, 42, of filing a retaliatory lawsuit against her for speaking out about alleged sexual harassment. Energetic’s attorneys argue Baldoni is liable to pay under California Civil Code Section 47.1, which goals to guard victims of sexual harassment from retaliatory defamation lawsuits.
Afterward Thursday, Energetic’s lawyer Sigrid McCawley addressed the star’s latest legal move in an interview with Entertainment Tonight after being asked a few Page Six report that Energetic and Baldoni spent $60 million on the legal battle.
“Well, definitely any battle like this is pricey. And that’s why laws just like the law that’s been passed in California that she’s proceeding under are so necessary,” McCawley responded to a matter about the fee of the legal proceedings.
McCawley said the Section 47.1 law invoked by Energetic stops people “weaponizing the legal system against the individuals who report things like sexual harassment.”
“That’s really critical because most individuals can’t afford to undertake this sort of significant battle,” the lawyer added. “She knows that that’s a privilege. She knows that the majority people will not be able to do this.”
Earlier on Thursday, Energetic’s attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said of the request for damages, “By agreeing to this settlement and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and each individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Energetic. And by admitting that Ms. Energetic’s concerns ‘deserved to be heard,’ the defendants have ended once and for all of the fiction that Ms. Energetic ‘fabricated’ claims of sexual harassment and retaliation.”
Blake Energetic’s alleged feud with director and costar Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us exploded into multiple lawsuits in 2025. The previous Gossip Girl star kicked off the legal battle by filing a grievance with the California Civil Rights Department and subsequently sued Baldoni over sexual harassment allegations. Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan […]
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in his own statement on Thursday that the settlement between the embattled stars was a “win and total victory” for his client and Wayfarer Studios.
“Ms. Energetic voluntarily dismissed the remainder,” Freedman said of the three claims in Energetic’s lawsuit that were set to go to trial before the parties reached a settlement. “In our view, they settled because they knew they were going to lose in court. All that is still is a pending request for fees based on a really narrow issue that has been with the court since September 2025.”
In a subsequent interview with ET on Thursday, Freedman said that the actress’ request for damages “looks like more nonsense from Ms. Energetic.”
“I feel it’s not possible for Ms. Energetic to take responsibility for any a part of her actions,” he claimed. “If one can’t see themselves, one can’t truthfully, realistically, have a look at their part in things, it makes for a troubled existence.”