The long-drawn legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has come to an end. The settlement arrived just two weeks before the trial was scheduled to take place. The terms of the lawsuit remain confidential, meaning the payout amount and specific conditions have not been disclosed to the public.
Joint statement hopes for “closure” after long-drawn legal battle ends in settlement
The legal battle started in 2024, with Lively claiming that Baldoni allegedly engaged in s—– harassment on the sets of It Ends With Us, along with retaliation and smear campaigns to damage her reputation. On the other hand, Baldoni fought back, filing massive defamation lawsuits and accusing Lively and Ryan Reynolds of destroying his career.
Recently, several key claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including allegations of s—– harassment, defamation, civil conspiracy, and multiple workplace-related misconduct charges, were dismissed by a Southern District of New York judge. Meanwhile, breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding/abetting retaliation charges were set to be decided by a jury in May, which will now not go to trial following the settlement. Previously, Baldoni’s defamation lawsuits were also thrown out.
In a joint statement, both sides emphasized pride in the film they made together and its impact on domestic violence awareness. It further stated that even though Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard,” both parties should now “move forward constructively and in peace” following the settlement.
“The end product – the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” a joint statement released by Lively and Baldoni’s legal teams read, adding, “raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind”.
“It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online,” the statement further added.
This was a two-year legal war that ended quietly before trial, with the focus on closure rather than accountability. With most claims already dismissed in court, Baldoni and Lively’s teams may have thought it best to end the matter with a settlement.
