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The off-screen legal dispute between the leads of the hit romance film "It Ends with Us" was reportedly settled two months ago. At the time, Blake Lively, who also serves as a producer on the film, and Justin Baldoni, who also directed, issued a joint statement confirming a formal truce.
However, the dispute saw a new development this Monday. Lively filed a document with the court, demanding Baldoni still pay her $7.49 million in attorney fees and approximately $539,000 in other litigation costs, totaling around $8.03 million.
(Image Source: Variety)
Lively's lawyer also issued a statement to the media earlier, indicating that this "landmark ruling makes those who attempt to use litigation as a means of intimidation realize that there is a price to pay." The judge had previously ruled that Lively was indeed entitled to compensation for defense costs. Although her previous claim for $300 million was not approved, she could still separately claim litigation costs.
Two years ago, months before "It Ends with Us" premiered, media frequently reported on Lively and Baldoni's clashing visions and constant on-set conflicts. Lively was also accused of enlisting her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to rewrite the script in violation of the WGA strike rules at the time. Later that year, after the film's release, Lively retaliated by accusing Baldoni of colluding with his PR team to leak negative stories to the media and of verbally harassing her multiple times on set. The dispute has now narrowed, with only the litigation costs remaining to be resolved between the two parties.