Why did Justin Baldoni’s PR team seek a $30K fee increase during the Blake Lively dispute? Drama explained

The lawsuit involving the Gossip Girl star, Blake Lively, and Justin Baldoni has new developments.

As per TMZ, the PR company in Texas that was working with Justin Baldoni and his studio, who are fighting back against Blake Lively in their legal feud, has asked Justin’s team for $30,000 more to cover extra work.

The $30K fee deal is apparently to deal with Taylor Swift's fanbase. According to TMZ, if she publicly supports Blake, her huge fanbase, also known as ''Swifties'' might attack Justin online, and the PR team would need to be ready to manage the backlash.

The lawsuit had begun last year, when Lively accused Baldoni of se*ual harassment, hostile work environment, and a coordinated smear campaign against her after she spoke up about alleged misconduct while filming It Ends With Us.

More about the drama in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni dispute

According to TMZ, Justin Baldoni’s PR team sent an email expressing concern that Taylor Swift’s fans might target Justin. The team also said that this would be a big risk, and subsequently raised their monthly fee to $30,000 to protect Justin and his studio from the growing online buzz.

The very next day, the PR firm, run by Jed Wallace, billed his studio for $30K. Jed had also been previously named in the dispute. He was linked to texts in Blake’s lawsuit, where they were credited with helping change the online narrative about her and Justin.

Blake later added Jed and his firm to her December 2024 lawsuit, accusing them of misconduct while filming It Ends With Us.

In recent news related to the case, as per US Weekly, Baldoni’s lawyer attached part of Blake’s deposition transcript, which is her sworn testimony to a motion. The transcript was, however, not finalized yet, and Blake’s team said it was improper to use it in court at that stage. Then on Friday, August 8, 2025, the judge agreed with Blake, ruling that Baldoni’s team cannot use the transcript until it’s been reviewed, corrected, and finalized.

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The judge also reprimanded Baldoni’s team for how they handled the transcript situation. Lively also made it clear by saying that she was fine with her testimony being heard, but she believes that Baldoni’s side submitted the unfinished transcript to cause problems for her and to make it look like she wanted to hide it.

As per reports, the court has set the actual trial for March 2026, and along with Lively, other witnesses involved in the film are also expected to appear.

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