Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds appeared together in New York on Friday, marking their first public outing since the latest development in Lively’s long-running legal battle with Justin Baldoni. The actress, 39, was accompanied by her husband, 49, and her older half-sister Robyn Lively, 54, as the family stepped out together in the city. Lively appeared composed and occasionally smiled as she walked beside Reynolds, while her husband maintained a noticeably more serious expression. The outing attracted attention because it came only days after a New York judge ruled that Lively would receive only a small portion of the legal fees she had sought following the bitter court battle. Rather than disappearing from public view after the disappointing ruling, Lively was seen continuing with an ordinary family appearance alongside two of the people closest to her.

For the outing, Lively opted for an understated all-brown look, wearing brown overalls, boots, and a chunky gold necklace. Robyn followed behind the actress in a double-denim outfit, while Reynolds stayed close to his wife during their walk. Although Lively appeared relaxed enough to smile at moments, Reynolds’ more stoic demeanor stood out, particularly given the timing of the appearance. Their decision to step out together also presented a united front amid renewed public attention surrounding the legal dispute. The family outing occurred shortly after details emerged about the amount Lively would actually recover in legal expenses, a figure dramatically lower than the millions she had originally requested. The development has inevitably renewed interest in the complicated dispute that began around the production of It Ends With Us and eventually became one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles.

The financial ruling was delivered on Wednesday, when Judge Lewis Liman determined that Lively would receive approximately $400,000 for the legal costs associated with defending herself against Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit. Specifically, the court directed the clerk to enter judgment for Lively in the amount of $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs. That combined figure represented only about five percent of the roughly $8 million Lively had sought to recover. The judge also raised concerns about the expenses submitted by her legal team, describing the hours billed by her lawyers as unreasonable and pointing to discrepancies in the amounts she attempted to claim. The decision therefore represented a significant reduction from Lively’s original request and became an especially striking development because it arrived around the time of her birthday.

The amount Lively had requested was substantial. Court filings previously revealed that she was seeking $4,544,094 from Wilkie Farr & Gallagher and another $2,951,432 from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, two prominent law firms that represented her during the dispute. Additional expenses connected to a June 1 hearing pushed the overall figure to approximately $8.3 million. Yet the court ultimately awarded only a fraction of that sum. The ruling followed a lengthy sequence of lawsuits and counterclaims that began in December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company. Her lawsuit accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the making of It Ends With Us and also alleged defamation. Baldoni strongly disputed the allegations and responded the following month with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times, which had initially published Lively’s allegations.

The legal conflict continued for nearly two years and became increasingly complicated as both sides pursued their claims in court. Judge Lewis Liman eventually dismissed Baldoni’s defamation case in October of the previous year, although Lively was permitted to seek reimbursement for legal fees specifically connected to defending against that action. Meanwhile, most of the claims in Lively’s own sexual harassment lawsuit were later dismissed by the same judge. In May, only weeks before the case was scheduled to proceed to trial, Lively and Baldoni agreed to settle their dispute, bringing the central legal confrontation to an end without either side receiving a monetary settlement. However, the settlement did not immediately resolve the issue of legal expenses. Lively subsequently filed documents seeking reimbursement for the considerable costs she had incurred during the drawn-out proceedings, leading directly to the latest ruling that sharply reduced the amount she would recover.

The disappointing payout became public at a particularly sensitive moment for Lively, coinciding with her birthday. Reynolds nevertheless appeared publicly supportive of his wife, sharing a glowing birthday tribute in which he described her as a courageous, deeply kind genius. Their appearance together in New York shortly afterward reinforced the impression that the couple was standing together despite the latest setback. Lively has remained at the center of intense public scrutiny since the dispute surrounding It Ends With Us became public, with the legal proceedings overshadowing much of the attention surrounding the film itself. While she has occasionally addressed aspects of the controversy through legal filings and public statements, the latest financial ruling has introduced another layer to a story that has already generated extensive debate about the competing allegations and legal strategies of both sides.

The controversy has also overshadowed the commercial success of It Ends With Us. The film earned approximately $148 million domestically and around $350 million worldwide, demonstrating substantial box-office appeal. However, much of the goodwill surrounding the movie was eventually eclipsed by the serious allegations made by its stars and the subsequent courtroom battle. What began as a dispute connected to the production and promotion of the film developed into a major legal confrontation involving accusations of sexual harassment, defamation, and hundreds of millions of dollars in claimed damages. Although the settlement in May ended the central litigation between Lively and Baldoni without a monetary payout, the continuing arguments over attorneys’ fees have ensured that the dispute remains part of the public conversation. The latest ruling, in particular, has drawn attention because of the stark difference between the amount Lively requested and the amount the court ultimately approved.

Away from the courtroom, Lively and Reynolds continue to maintain their family life in the public eye. The couple first met in 2010 while working together on Green Lantern and began dating the following year, in October 2011. They married on September 9, 2012, in South Carolina and now share four children: daughters James, 11, Inez, nine, and Betty, six, as well as their three-year-old son Olin. Their latest appearance with Robyn in New York therefore offered a glimpse of the family remaining together amid another difficult chapter in Lively’s legal saga. While the court’s decision represented a major reduction from the millions she had hoped to recover, the actress appeared to continue moving forward alongside her husband and sister. The outing also ensured that, even as questions surrounding the lawsuit remain unresolved in the court of public opinion, Lively and Reynolds presented a visibly united front in the aftermath of the latest legal setback.