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Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s production company have settled their big legal fight, so it won’t go to trial. This happened just before the jury was supposed to be picked.
BY Mahnoor | 19-05-2026
The specifics of the settlement aren’t known right away.
Lively made a complaint saying that Baldoni sexually harassed her while they were filming ‘It Ends With Us,’ which they both acted in and Baldoni directed. Lively claims that Baldoni then tried to damage her reputation as revenge for her speaking out about what happened. Baldoni has denied all the claims.
Last month, a judge dismissed ten of the thirteen claims in Lively’s lawsuit, like sexual harassment and defamation, which made the case smaller. Some claims, including those about sexual harassment, were dismissed because of legal details, like Lively being seen as a contractor, not an employee.
The other three issues—payback, helping with that payback, and breaking the agreement—weren’t against Baldoni himself. His movie company, Wayfarer, which is a special type of company, and a PR firm hired by his people were the ones being sued for the remaining issues.
The trial, set to start May 18 with picking a jury, would have been the high point of a year-long legal story that everyone has been watching.
Lawyers for Lively and the other people being sued said together on Monday that making the movie was hard and that Lively’s worries should have been listened to.
“We’re still dedicated to having workplaces without problems and negativity,” the statement said. “We truly hope this ends things and lets everyone move on positively and peacefully, including being respectful online.”
The Beginning
In late 2024, Lively and Baldoni began a legal fight. The New York Times reported that Lively complained to California about Baldoni’s actions during and after making “It Ends With Us,” a movie based on Colleen Hoover’s book.
Later, Lively sued Baldoni, his company Wayfarer Studios, and others in a New York federal court.
In her complaint, Lively claimed Baldoni made inappropriate sexual comments to women at work and discussed his sex life, including a past addiction to porn. She also accused him of adding unscripted intimate actions, some of which were later released publicly.
In court papers, Baldoni stated that the accused actions were just ‘miscommunications and awkward comments.’ He also mentioned that some talks were important because the movie deals with adult themes. He said the production team paid attention to Lively’s worries and made the changes she asked for.
Lively also said that Baldoni and his team later used online supporters to change public opinion against Lively.
Baldoni’s lawyers said in court documents that his PR team was doing normal work after Lively tried to ruin his reputation.
The court case had many twists and turns that made news, especially when text messages and videos from the movie set were released. At one point, Lively’s messages with her famous friend Taylor Swift became a key point of interest.
Last year, Lively’s lawyers said that Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, was publicly making “false and biased” statements about Lively and her legal issues. They asked the court for a meeting “to discuss how lawyers should act from now on.” The judge told the lawyers to refrain from making public statements that could influence the case.
Amid the legal battle, Baldoni also sued Lively and her famous husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million, claiming they stole his movie idea and tried to ruin his career. A judge threw out the lawsuit last June.
The judge didn’t say if Baldoni’s complaint was right or wrong. Instead, the judge said Lively’s sexual harassment claims were protected by law, so Baldoni couldn’t sue her for defamation because of them.
The judge also threw out Baldoni’s libel lawsuit against the New York Times. Baldoni claimed their article about Lively’s accusations was full of errors, false statements, and things left out. At the time, the newspaper defended its story, saying it was carefully and accurately reported.
This story now includes more details.
