June 23, 2026
Willkie and co-counsel Manatt were recognized with a “Shout-Out” in The AmLaw Litigation Daily for securing a precedent-setting award of legal fees and costs that Blake Lively incurred in defeating a defamation countersuit in her high-profile litigation with Justin Baldoni, Lively’s co-star and director of It Ends With Us.
On June 12, Judge Lewis Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that Lively was entitled to recover attorneys’ fees and costs after prevailing against Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties’ $400 million defamation action last year. The decision sets a precedent for how future survivors of sexual harassment and retaliation can deploy the protections of California’s statute prohibiting retaliatory “weaponized defamation” lawsuits, California Civil Code Section 47.1, in federal court.
Willkie and Manatt also represented Lively in her underlying sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni tied to the filming of It Ends With Us. The claims were largely resolved through a settlement in May 2026. Read more about the fee award ruling here.
The Willkie team is led by partners Michael Gottlieb, Kristin Bender and Aaron Nathan with associates Michaela Connolly and Melissa Taustine.
On June 12, Judge Lewis Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that Lively was entitled to recover attorneys’ fees and costs after prevailing against Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties’ $400 million defamation action last year. The decision sets a precedent for how future survivors of sexual harassment and retaliation can deploy the protections of California’s statute prohibiting retaliatory “weaponized defamation” lawsuits, California Civil Code Section 47.1, in federal court.
Willkie and Manatt also represented Lively in her underlying sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni tied to the filming of It Ends With Us. The claims were largely resolved through a settlement in May 2026. Read more about the fee award ruling here.
The Willkie team is led by partners Michael Gottlieb, Kristin Bender and Aaron Nathan with associates Michaela Connolly and Melissa Taustine.
