{"id":366200,"date":"2026-07-14T14:51:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=366200"},"modified":"2026-07-14T14:51:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:21:02","slug":"justin-baldoni-fights-blake-vigorouss-legal-fee-request","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/14\/justin-baldoni-fights-blake-vigorouss-legal-fee-request\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Baldoni Fights Blake Vigorous’s Legal Fee Request"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Justin Baldoni<\/strong> and Blake Vigorous<\/strong> 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 \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d legal dispute that began in 2024.<\/p>\n

4<\/span>
Steven Bergman\/AFF-USA.COM \/ MEGA <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A federal judge ruled that the \u201cGossip Girl\u201d actress was entitled to get better legal costs in reference to Baldoni\u2019s 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, Baldoni\u2019s 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\u2019s bid completely, or a minimum of \u201csubstantially reduce\u201d the quantity, which they deemed \u201cexcessive,\u201d as noted within the documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bryan Freedman Claims The Actress\u2019 Team Had More Staff Than Needed<\/h2>\n
\"Blake4<\/span>
ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vigorous\u2019s legal fee request was detailed in her filing, with attorney\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, Gottlieb\u2019s hourly discounted rate for Vigorous was $2,187. He has been on Vigorous\u2019s team because the legal battle began in December 2024, and he billed 224 hours.<\/p>\n

Freedman argues that Vigorous\u2019s team had more staff than needed and had too many billable hours. \u201cEssentially the most cursory review of Vigorous\u2019s 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,\u201d Freedman\u2019s filing noted.<\/p>\n

Justin Baldoni\u2019s Attorney Says Rates Are Exorbitant<\/h2>\n
\"Blake4<\/span>
John Angelillo\/UPI Newscom\/MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Per Vigorous\u2019s 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 \u201c20 times the variety of hours courts have found reasonable in defending similar high-profile defamation actions, even those with \u2018complicated and underdeveloped\u2019 legal questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Baldoni\u2019s lawyer argued that the law firms of Vigorous\u2019s attorneys charge excessive rates, and in her filing she failed to incorporate credentials to justify the rates recorded. \u201cVigorous recognizes that reasonableness requires an assessment of every lawyer\u2019s expertise and experience yet fails to offer biographical information for 71 of the 82 timekeepers,\u201d Freedman noted.<\/p>\n

Blake Vigorous\u2019s Request Compared To Latest York Times Defamation Case<\/h2>\n
\"ZUMAPRESS.com4<\/span>
ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Firstly of the \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d legal battle, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios sued The Latest York Times<\/em> for libel and defamation over its publication of an expos\u00e9. Baldoni\u2019s lawsuit was dismissed, and he was later asked to pay legal costs amounting to $181,000, as requested by the publication.<\/p>\n

Freedman is comparing that quantity to Vigorous\u2019s request for legal fees, noting that the actress\u2019 filing is overreaching. \u201cVigorous\u2019s 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!\u201d the document reads.<\/p>\n

Overall, Baldoni\u2019s team claims Vigorous failed to offer credible evidence supporting her recoverable fees and is asking the court to disclaim or reduce the quantity considerably.<\/p>\n

Justin Baldoni Has Spoken About The Case<\/h2>\n
<\/blockquote>\n

Baldoni has remained silent throughout his legal battle along with his \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d co-star. On July 8, nonetheless, he and his wife, Emily, posted an Instagram video to update their followers, as reported by The Blast<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n