Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their high-profile legal battle just two weeks before the actors were due to face off in court.
The It Ends With Us co-stars have been embroiled in a bitter feud since Lively first accused Baldoni of sexual misconduct on the set of their 2024 film.
The case stems from interactions between Baldoni and Lively during production of the adaptation of the best-selling Colleen Hoover novel.
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Lively portrayed the lead, Lily Bloom, while Baldoni played her abusive romantic partner, Ryle Kincaid. They were both producers on the film.
The actors were expected to testify in court on May 18, but have now averted a civil trial after reaching a settlement.
Attorneys for both sides issued a joint statement on Monday announcing the resolution, saying their film “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,” the statement read.
“We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognise concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard.
“We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.
“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 settlement ends more than a year of acrimonious litigation that drew intense publicity as details of Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s counterclaims emerged through court filings.
How the Lively and Baldoni drama started
The dispute became public in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by a lawsuit.
The Gossip Girl star sued the actor-director and his production company, seeking damages for alleged harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws.
Lively alleged the defendants created a sexually charged atmosphere during production and then launched a smear campaign to silence her.
In the complaint, Lively claimed Baldoni made sexual comments towards women on set and discussed his personal sex life, including his “previous pornography addiction”.
She also accused him of improvising intimacy that had not been choreographed, including in footage later released publicly.
Baldoni denied all allegations.
Judge throws out majority of Lively’s claims
Last month, a federal judge threw out 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including sexual harassment and defamation, narrowing the case significantly.
The remaining three claims — retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation and breach of contract — were not against Baldoni personally.
Instead, they remained against his production company Wayfarer, an LLC set up for the film and a public relations firm retained by his team.
Following the partial dismissal, Lively’s lawyer Sigrid McCawley suggested a settlement could be forthcoming, while also saying the actress still looked forward to testifying at trial.
McCawley said at the time that Lively had exposed the “smear machine” in Hollywood.
“For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they’ve targeted,” McCawley said.
Settlement reached but is the damage already done?
The trial, which was scheduled to begin on May 18 with jury selection, would have marked the culmination of a year-long legal battle that has attracted widespread public attention.
During the dispute, Baldoni also filed a $US400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging they “hijacked” his film and attempted to destroy his career.
That case was dismissed by a federal judge last June.
The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s libel suit against The New York Times, which stemmed from its reporting on Lively’s allegations.
Baldoni claimed the article was “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations and omissions” but the newspaper defended its reporting, saying it was “meticulously and responsibly reported”.
— With CNN, Reuters
