Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle It Ends With Us Battle Over Lawsuit

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled a lawsuit brought by Lively over the filming of the 2024 romantic drama It Ends With Us, both sides said on Monday, averting a civil trial scheduled for May in which both actors were expected to testify over Lively’s allegations of sexual misconduct by Baldoni.

The settlement, announced in a joint statement that did not disclose its terms, ends more than a year of acrimonious litigation that attracted intense publicity as details of Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s counterclaims emerged in court filings.

The statement said both sides hope the agreement brings “closure”.

Lively, widely known for starring in the television series Gossip Girl, sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in December 2024, seeking damages for alleged harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws.

She alleged the defendants created a sexually charged environment during the film’s production and later mounted a smear campaign to silence her.

Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in It Ends With Us, countered that he addressed Lively’s concerns promptly and said he was entitled to hire a crisis management firm after she began speaking negatively about him publicly.

A US District Judge, Lewis Liman, dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims on April 2, though aspects of her allegations could still have been examined in the scheduled May 18 civil trial concerning her retaliation claims.

The dispute became public in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by her lawsuit. A related article in The New York Times was titled: “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine”.

Baldoni also sued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation, alleging they sought to damage his reputation. That case was dismissed in June. The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation case against The New York Times.

It Ends With Us featured Lively as a flower shop owner who marries a neurosurgeon played by Baldoni.

Despite mixed reviews, the film grossed more than $351 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

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