Justin Baldoni and Blake Vigorous have resolved a part of their legal dispute with a settlement, but their courtroom battle is way from over. The latter is in search of $8 million to cover her legal fees, and Baldoni has responded along with his own filing, requesting the judge to disclaim, or a minimum of reduce, the quantity. The most recent filing follows Baldoni breaking his silence on the “It Ends With Us” legal dispute that began in 2024.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Vigorous settled their legal dispute in early May, just a few weeks before the trial was set to start. The settlement had no monetary exchange from either side, and a confidentiality clause was also absent, which was unusual for such a high-profile case.
A federal judge ruled that the “Gossip Girl” actress was entitled to get better legal costs in reference to Baldoni’s defamation countersuit, which was dismissed. On June 30, her legal team submitted the main points of her request amounting to roughly $8 million, as previously reported by The Blast.
Two weeks later, Baldoni’s team has responded. In a filing submitted to the courts on July 13 by attorney Bryan Freedman, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios have requested that the judge deny Vigorous’s bid completely, or a minimum of “substantially reduce” the quantity, which they deemed “excessive,” as noted within the documents.
Bryan Freedman Claims The Actress’ Team Had More Staff Than Needed
Vigorous’s legal fee request was detailed in her filing, with attorney’s fees amounting to $7,495,526.87 and extra costs at $539,514.01, totalling $8,035,040.85. The document also noted that Vigorous had been given discounts by her legal team.
The actress had two primary lawyers from top-tier law firms leading her case, Michael Gottlieb (Willkie Farr & Gallagher) and Esra Hudson (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips), who’ve their very own litigation teams under them. Per the filing, Gottlieb’s hourly discounted rate for Vigorous was $2,187. He has been on Vigorous’s team because the legal battle began in December 2024, and he billed 224 hours.
Freedman argues that Vigorous’s team had more staff than needed and had too many billable hours. “Essentially the most cursory review of Vigorous’s submission shows multiple lawyers at the identical hearings, quite a few charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring, or strategizing with each other, and to place it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation,” Freedman’s filing noted.
Justin Baldoni’s Attorney Says Rates Are Exorbitant
Per Vigorous’s filing, her entire team collected 7,070.20 hours of billable work throughout her battle with Baldoni and the Wayferer parties. Freedman argues that’s “20 times the variety of hours courts have found reasonable in defending similar high-profile defamation actions, even those with ‘complicated and underdeveloped’ legal questions.”
Furthermore, Baldoni’s lawyer argued that the law firms of Vigorous’s attorneys charge excessive rates, and in her filing she failed to incorporate credentials to justify the rates recorded. “Vigorous recognizes that reasonableness requires an assessment of every lawyer’s expertise and experience yet fails to offer biographical information for 71 of the 82 timekeepers,” Freedman noted.
Blake Vigorous’s Request Compared To Latest York Times Defamation Case
Firstly of the “It Ends With Us” legal battle, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios sued The Latest York Times for libel and defamation over its publication of an exposé. Baldoni’s lawsuit was dismissed, and he was later asked to pay legal costs amounting to $181,000, as requested by the publication.
Freedman is comparing that quantity to Vigorous’s request for legal fees, noting that the actress’ filing is overreaching. “Vigorous’s fee request is so over-inclusive that it sweeps in fees for researching her own liability for perjury arising from her California CRD claim and her Rule 11 motion for which the Court has already denied fees!” the document reads.
Overall, Baldoni’s team claims Vigorous failed to offer credible evidence supporting her recoverable fees and is asking the court to disclaim or reduce the quantity considerably.
Justin Baldoni Has Spoken About The Case
Baldoni has remained silent throughout his legal battle along with his “It Ends With Us” co-star. On July 8, nonetheless, he and his wife, Emily, posted an Instagram video to update their followers, as reported by The Blast.
The couple shared their love and appreciation for the individuals who have stood by them, telling their followers that they’re still within the technique of healing. While they remained tight-lipped about case details, Emily said they plan to share their side of the story when the time is correct.