Hollywood actress Sofia Vergara ordered to pay $80,000 to ex-fiance in frozen embryo lawsuit

Sofia Vergara has been ordered to pay her ex $80,000 (£61,000) in legal fees amidst a legal battle over her embryos.

The Modern Family actress is involved in a legal row with her ex-fiance Nicholas Loeb, who previously sought to obtain full custody of two pre-embryos they created together through IVF.

Loeb filed a motion for attorney’s fees in June 2019, asking a judge for $117,590.17 (£90,198.72) in attorney fees and $2,958.26 (£2,260.38) in costs from his ex.

Loeb claimed that he was successful in his anti-SLAPP motion (which provides for early dismissal of meritless lawsuits) as it related to a ‘malicious prosecution claim’.

However, Vergara, 47, argued the motion ‘should be denied or heavily reduced to the extent it is based on block billing and seeks fees and costs for services not shown to be related to the successful portion of the anti-SLAPP motion’.

A judge ruled that the billing records didn’t justify the fees sought by Loeb, and applied a 35% reduction – meaning Vergara has been ordered to pay to $79,392.26 (£60,871.63), with $76,433 (£58,601.95) in attorney’s fees and $2,959.26 (£2,260.82) in costs.

Sofia and Nicholas began dating in 2010 and got engaged two years later, before splitting in 2014.