Justin Baldoni and Emily Speak of 'Injustice' as Blake Lively Pursues $8 Million He Could Still Owe

Justin Baldoni and his wife Emily ended nearly two years of public silence on Wednesday with an emotional Instagram video about 'injustice', trauma, and gratitude. The video never mentioned the one thing still undecided. Blake Lively is pursuing more than $8 million (£5.9 million) from Baldoni and his production company, and a federal judge has already ruled she's entitled to collect.

The couple's message of healing arrived five days before Baldoni's 13 July court deadline to contest exactly how much he could owe.

What the Baldonis Said After Two Years of Silence

Neither Justin nor Emily named Lively, the film It Ends With Us, or the litigation in the near five-minute video posted to his four million Instagram followers. 'Gratitude has saved us,' Baldoni said, explaining they stayed quiet because they didn't want to 'add to the noise' and chose to let the justice system run its course.

Emily said their gratitude 'doesn't negate the injustice and the pain' of the past few years. She added the family struggled to understand how the ordeal could happen 'disguised as a fight for women'. Baldoni closed by saying love shows up 'when God presses the reset button' and everything else is stripped away.

The $8 Million Bill Still on the Table

Court records show Lively filed a motion on 30 June asking US District Judge Lewis Liman to order Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios to pay $8,035,040.88 (around £5.9 million). The figure covers roughly $7.5 million in attorneys' fees and $540,000 in litigation costs from defeating the $400 million (£299 million) defamation countersuit Baldoni filed against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds.

The filing details billing rates as high as $2,187 (£1,632) per hour for Lively's lead counsel, and her lawyers argue the sum represents only a portion of what she spent across 18 months of litigation. Baldoni and Wayfarer must respond by 13 July before Liman decides the final award.

Why the Judge Says Lively Can Collect

Liman ruled on 12 June that Lively qualifies for reimbursement under California Civil Code Section 47.1, a 2023 law protecting people who report sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims. The same ruling denied her request for further damages, making the fee award her last remaining financial claim in the case.

Her attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said the decision puts anyone 'using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation' on notice. Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman countered that Lively secured 'limited attorney fees for a single claim' and noted the court dismissed 10 of her 13 claims before the May settlement, which paid her nothing.

Why the Scoreboard Is Still Live

The dispute began in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, then a federal lawsuit, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and a retaliatory smear campaign. Baldoni denied the claims and counter-sued. His suit was dismissed in June 2025, and the two sides settled in May 2026 with sealed terms and no damages paid.

For American workers, the case became a live lesson in what reporting misconduct, or being accused of it, can cost. Freedman himself estimated Lively's total legal spending at $30 million to $60 million (£22 million to £45 million), while Baldoni now waits to learn the size of his own bill.

The Baldonis say they're focused on healing, their children, and their faith. But until Liman signs off on a number, anyone deciding who won this fight is reading an unfinished scoreboard.