Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settle lawsuit over It Ends With Us film weeks before trial
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Celebrity
Phoebe Tonks
Featured Image Credit: NBC/Getty/Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Celebrity
After months of bitter legal threats and public hostility, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have officially settled a lawsuit that followed filming of the 2024 movie It Ends With Us.
The last minute settlement agreement was reached just two weeks before the pair were due to face off in court, with both stars expected to testify and share their version of events.
The long running legal battle between the pair has dragged out for two years, with Lively accusing Baldoni of harassment, sexual misconduct, and a smear campaign on the set of their hit movie in 2024.
Baldoni had always strongly refused the allegations and filed a counter-suit in response, with both legal battles embroiling several A-list names, including Taylor Swift, in the embittered row.
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Before things could proceed to a public and potentially messy trial, the warring co-stars agreed to settle out of court, with attorneys for both actors issuing a joint statement after Monday’s pivotal decision.
The statement kicked off by acknowledging that It Ends With Us ‘is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life’.
"Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind.”
"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms Lively deserved to be heard," it continued. "We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
The statement concluded by saying that both actors ‘hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace.’
The heart of the lawsuit originally stemmed from interactions on set between Baldoni and Lively, as they turned Colleen Hoover’s hit novel into a big screen adaptation. It features Lively as the main character, Lily Bloom, a young woman who grew up in the shadow of domestic abuse, then finds herself in the exact same position years later.
As part of her claim, Lively’s legal team accused Baldoni and his film studio Wayfarer of multiple offences, including plans to wreck her reputation and intentionally manipulating social media and interviews with the press to paint her in a bad light.
Additionally, she also filed a lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, when she claimed that Baldoni had allegedly sexually harassed her on set and then retaliated against her for raising those complaints.
In total Lively made 13 allegations against Baldoni, 10 of which were thrown out by a judge last month, leaving only three to proceed to trial - breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation.
Baldoni meanwhile, filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, along with their publicist for what he claimed was defamation. He accused the couple of trying to ruin his career and reputation with the allegations, as well as the New York Times.
He alleged that Lively ‘stole the film’ from him and Wayfarer and claimed she had threatened to refuse to do any publicity to promote it, while claiming she had perpetuated a false narrative that he had harassed and victimised her.
In June 2025, despite his Baldoni’s efforts to argue his case, a judge dismissed his lawsuit, saying his team had ‘not adequately alleged that Lively's threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions.’
The case had been due to go to trial on May 18 before the settlement was reached.