Blake Lively Asks for Money for Lawyers
Blake Lively Asks for Money for Lawyers
Blake Lively 要求支付律師費
Introduction
Blake Lively wants the court to make Justin Baldoni pay her $8 million. This money is for her lawyers.
Blake Lively 希望法院要求 Justin Baldoni 向她支付 800 萬美元，這筆錢將用於支付她的律師費用。
Main Body
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni had a big fight in court. Ms. Lively said Mr. Baldoni was mean to her. Then, Mr. Baldoni sued her for a lot of money. The judge stopped his case in June 2025.
Blake Lively 與 Justin Baldoni 在法庭上發生激烈衝突。Lively 女士表示 Baldoni 先生對她很刻薄。隨後，Baldoni 先生起訴她要求高額賠償。法官於 2025 年 6 月駁回了他的訴訟。
In May 2026, they made an agreement to stop fighting. Ms. Lively did not get money from this agreement. But the judge said she can get money for her lawyers now.
2026 年 5 月，雙方達成協議停止爭端。Lively 女士並未從該協議中獲得金錢補償。但法官表示，她現在可以申請支付律師費。
Ms. Lively's lawyers say Mr. Baldoni tried to make her poor. They say he wanted to scare people. Mr. Baldoni's lawyers say no. They say the fight is already over.
Lively 女士的律師稱 Baldoni 先生企圖讓她陷入貧困。他們表示 Baldoni 意在恐嚇他人。Baldoni 先生的律師則予以否認，稱爭端已經結束。
Conclusion
The court is looking at the money now. Mr. Baldoni must answer by July 13.
法院目前正在審視款項問題。Baldoni 先生必須在 7 月 13 日前做出回應。
Vocabulary Learning
🕒 Time words and Dates
In this story, we see how to talk about when things happen. This is very important for A2 level.
1. Months & Years We put the month before the year:
- June 2025
- May 2026
2. Specific Days When we have a day, we use 'by' or 'on':
- By July 13 This means the action must happen before or at that time.
⚖️ People in the Story
Look at how we name people in a formal way:
| Casual | Formal |
|---|---|
| Blake | Ms. Lively |
| Justin | Mr. Baldoni |
Rule: Use Mr. for men and Ms. for women when talking about a court or a boss.
Vocabulary Learning
Blake Lively Requests Payment for Legal Costs in Case Against Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively 要求 Justin Baldoni 支付法律費用
Introduction
Blake Lively has officially asked the court to pay her back approximately $8 million in legal fees and costs. This request follows a legal settlement with Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.
Blake Lively 已正式要求法院令對方償還約 800 萬美元的法律費用。此要求是在與 Justin Baldoni 及 Wayfarer Studios 達成法律和解後提出的。
Main Body
This request comes from a long legal battle that started in December 2024. At that time, Ms. Lively claimed that Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios committed sexual harassment and retaliation during the filming of 'It Ends With Us'. In response, Mr. Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit in January 2025, accusing Ms. Lively and Ryan Reynolds of defamation and invasion of privacy. However, the court dismissed this countersuit in June 2025, stating that Ms. Lively's claims were protected under California law.
此要求源於一場始於 2024 年 12 月的長期法律鬥爭。當時 Lively 女士聲稱 Baldoni 先生與 Wayfarer Studios 在拍攝《It Ends With Us》期間有性騷擾與報復行為。作為回應，Baldoni 先生於 2025 年 1 月提起 4 億美元的反訴，指控 Lively 女士與 Ryan Reynolds 毀謗及侵犯隱私。然而，法院於 2025 年 6 月駁回了此項反訴，稱 Lively 女士的指控受加州法律保護。
Although the two parties reached a settlement in May 2026, the specific financial details were not made public, and Ms. Lively did not receive any money. Nevertheless, Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Ms. Lively has the right to recover legal costs from the dismissed countersuit. Consequently, her lawyers have submitted a detailed list of expenses totaling over $8 million, which includes attorney fees and other costs from two different law firms.
儘管雙方於 2026 年 5 月達成和解，但具體的財務細節未予公開，且 Lively 女士未收到任何款項。即便如此，法官 Lewis J. Liman 裁定 Lively 女士有權從被駁回的反訴中追回法律費用。因此，她的律師提交了一份詳細的開支清單，總計超過 800 萬美元，其中包括兩家不同律師事務所的律師費及其他費用。
Ms. Lively's lawyers emphasized that the defendants used an aggressive legal strategy to exhaust her money and scare witnesses. On the other hand, Mr. Baldoni's representatives asserted that this new request is an attempt to ignore the terms of the previous settlement. They argue that the settlement already resolved the issue, especially since the defendants did not pay the $300 million in damages that Ms. Lively had originally requested.
Lively 女士的律師強調，被告採取激進的法律策略以耗盡其資金並恐嚇證人。另一方面，Baldoni 先生的代表則聲稱，此次新要求是企圖無視先前和解協議的條款。他們主張和解已解決該問題，尤其是被告並未支付 Lively 女士最初要求的 3 億美元損害賠償。
Conclusion
The court is now reviewing the requested amount, and Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios must provide their response by July 13.
法院目前正在審核所請求的金額，Baldoni 先生與 Wayfarer Studios 必須在 7 月 13 日前提供回應。
Vocabulary Learning
⚡ The Logic of 'Connectors'
At the A2 level, you likely use simple words like and, but, and because. To reach B2, you need Logical Transitions. These are words that tell the reader how two ideas are connected (e.g., is it a surprise? a result? a contrast?).
Look at these three heavy-hitters from the text:
1. The 'Surprise' Shift: Nevertheless
- Context: The parties settled Nevertheless, the judge said she can still get money.
- B2 Secret: Use this instead of but when you want to say "Despite what I just said, this is still true." It adds a professional, academic tone to your speaking.
2. The 'Chain Reaction': Consequently
- Context: The judge ruled in her favor Consequently, the lawyers sent a bill.
- B2 Secret: This is the "grown-up" version of so. It shows a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
- A2: I was tired, so I slept. $
- B2: I was exhausted; consequently, I fell asleep immediately.
3. The 'Flip Side': On the other hand
- Context: Lively says the strategy was aggressive On the other hand, Baldoni says she is ignoring the settlement.
- B2 Secret: Use this to balance two opposing arguments. It signals to the listener that you are being fair and looking at both sides of a situation.
🛠️ Quick Upgrade Guide
| Instead of... (A2) | Try using... (B2) | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| But | Nevertheless | To show a surprising contrast |
| So | Consequently | To show a formal result |
| But / Also | On the other hand | To compare two different opinions |
Vocabulary Learning
Petition for Recovery of Legal Expenditures in Lively v. Baldoni
Lively 訴 Baldoni 案申請追回法律支出
Introduction
Blake Lively has submitted a formal request to the court for the reimbursement of approximately US$8 million in legal fees and costs following a settlement with Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.
在與 Justin Baldoni 和 Wayfarer Studios 達成和解後，Blake Lively 已正式向法院申請追回約 800 萬美元的法律費用與開支。
Main Body
The current motion originates from a protracted legal dispute that commenced in December 2024, when Ms. Lively alleged sexual harassment and retaliation by Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios during the production of the film 'It Ends With Us'. In January 2025, Mr. Baldoni initiated a $400 million countersuit alleging defamation, civil extortion, and invasion of privacy against Ms. Lively and Ryan Reynolds. This countersuit was subsequently dismissed in June 2025, as the court determined that Ms. Lively's allegations were legally protected under California law.
目前的聲請源於一場冗長的法律糾紛，該爭議始於 2024 年 12 月，當時 Lively 指控 Baldoni 與 Wayfarer Studios 在電影《It Ends With Us》製作期間對其進行性騷擾與報復。2025 年 1 月，Baldoni 發起了一項 4 億美元的反訴，指控 Lively 與 Ryan Reynolds 誹謗、民事勒索及侵犯隱私。該反訴隨後於 2025 年 6 月被法院駁回，因為法院認定 Lively 的指控在加州法律下受到法律保護。
While a settlement was reached in May 2026, the financial terms remained undisclosed, and Ms. Lively received no direct monetary compensation. However, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Ms. Lively is entitled to recover specific legal costs associated with the defense against the dismissed countersuit, citing California Civil Code Section 47.1. Consequently, Ms. Lively's legal representatives have filed a detailed accounting of $7,495,526.87 in attorney fees and $539,514.01 in additional expenses. These costs are distributed between the firms Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
儘管雙方在 2026 年 5 月達成和解，但財務條款未予公開，且 Lively 未收到任何直接的金錢補償。然而，美國地區法官 Lewis J. Liman 引用加州民法第 47.1 條，裁定 Lively 有權追回與辯護該項被駁回反訴相關的特定法律費用。因此，Lively 的法律代表提交了一份詳細的帳單，其中包括 7,495,526.87 美元的律師費以及 539,514.01 美元的額外支出。這些費用分布於 Willkie Farr & Gallagher 與 Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP 兩家律師事務所。
Legal counsel for Ms. Lively characterized the defendants' litigation strategy as a 'scorched-earth' approach intended to deplete her financial resources and intimidate witnesses. Conversely, representatives for Mr. Baldoni have argued that the current motion constitutes an attempt to circumvent the terms of the prior settlement. The defense maintains that the settlement resolved the matter without the defendants paying any of the $300 million in damages previously sought by Ms. Lively.
Lively 的法律顧問將被告的訴訟策略形容為「焦土政策」，旨在耗盡其財務資源並恐嚇證人。相反地，Baldoni 的代表則主張，目前的聲請企圖規避先前和解協議的條款。辯方堅稱，該和解已解決此事，且被告並未支付 Lively 此前尋求的 3 億美元損害賠償金。
Conclusion
The court is currently reviewing the requested reimbursement amount, with a response from Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios due by July 13.
法院目前正在審核申請追回的金額，Baldoni 與 Wayfarer Studios 須於 7 月 13 日前做出回應。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of Adversarial Precision
To transition from B2 (competency) to C2 (mastery), a student must move beyond describing events and begin manipulating nuance. In this text, the most potent linguistic phenomenon is the Strategic Deployment of Legal Nominalization—the process of turning complex actions into static nouns to create an aura of objective, indisputable fact.
⚖️ The Nominalization Pivot
Observe the phrase: "The current motion originates from a protracted legal dispute..."
At B2, a student might write: "They have been arguing in court for a long time." At C2, we transform the action (arguing) into a conceptual entity (a protracted legal dispute). This shift achieves three things:
- Density: It packs chronological and emotional weight into a single noun phrase.
- Distance: It removes the 'human' element, mirroring the clinical detachment of high-level jurisprudence.
- Authority: It establishes a formal register where the 'dispute' becomes the subject of the sentence, rather than the people involved.
🔍 Semantic Precision: The 'C2 Lexical Tier'
Note the specific choice of adjectives and verbs that elevate the text from 'reportage' to 'expert discourse':
- "Protracted" Not just 'long', but unnecessarily or exhaustingly extended.
- "Circumvent" Not just 'avoid', but to find a clever, often illicit, way around a rule.
- "Scorched-earth" A metaphorical loan from military strategy, signifying total destruction regardless of the cost. This is a hallmarks of C2: the ability to use idiomatic metaphors within a formal framework.
🛠️ Syntactic Sophistication: The Passive/Active Dialectic
Look at the transition between "Mr. Baldoni initiated a $400 million countersuit" (Active: assigning blame/action) and "This countersuit was subsequently dismissed" (Passive: focusing on the legal outcome).
C2 Mastery Tip: Use the active voice to highlight agency and the passive voice to emphasize the state of affairs or systemic results. The author switches these flawlessly to shift the reader's focus from the actor to the legal status of the case.