Justin Baldoni is pushing back against Blake Lively's demand for a substantial sum to cover her legal expenses in their "It Ends With Us" legal conflict.

Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer, contend that the more than $8 million Lively is seeking is excessively high and lacks sufficient justification.

According to court documents, Baldoni's team asserts that Lively has not provided credible evidence to support her entitlement to such a large sum.

They are urging the judge to reject her request entirely.

This development is significant as it directly impacts the financial implications of the ongoing legal proceedings between the two parties.

The motion, filed by attorney Bryan Freedman, highlights that Lively's fee request is so broad it includes costs for researching her own potential perjury liability from a California CRD claim and a Rule 11 motion for which the court has already denied fees.

Baldoni's filing suggests that Lively is attempting to make him pay for legal work that extends beyond the scope of defending his defamation lawsuit, labeling her request as inflated and unsupported.

Alternatively, Baldoni argues that if the court decides to award any fees, the amount should be drastically reduced from over $8 million to a six-figure sum.

A source close to Blake Lively, however, disputes Baldoni's argument, stating that their position on fees only being recoverable for the defamation claim contradicts statutory language.

The source claims the statute refers to the "successful defense of the litigation," not just a specific "claim," and that Baldoni's opposition fails to address this point because they know it is incorrect.

The source also noted that the cases were consolidated by the judge, a fact not disputed by Baldoni's team.