Blake Lively‘s attorneys have described her settlement with Justin Baldoni over It Ends With Us a “resounding victory,” as the parties submitted paperwork withdrawing the case on Thursday morning.
The agreement was reached Monday, nearly a year and a half after Lively sued Baldoni for the alleged sexual harassment she experienced while filming the domestic violence movie and the alleged smear campaign launched against her during the film’s press tour in summer 2024.
Although the matter is now effectively settled with prejudice, Baldoni agreed that Lively can still seek attorney fees and treble and punitive damages over Baldoni filing a since-dismissed counter-defamation lawsuit against her. No matter the outcome of the judge’s decision, neither party will appeal the ruling.
Several outlets reported on Tuesday that neither Lively nor Baldoni would receive compensation as a result of the settlement, which arrived less than two weeks before the suit was set to go to trial. The trial was expected to last six to eight weeks.
“By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Lively,” her attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. “And by admitting that Ms. Lively’s concerns ‘deserved to be heard,’ the defendants have ended once and for all the fiction that Ms. Lively ‘fabricated’ claims of sexual harassment and retaliation.”
They added: “From day one Blake Lively’s mission was clear: expose and hold accountable those who weaponize smear campaigns and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors. That mission continues.”
Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
In December 2024, months after the premiere of the blockbuster It Ends With Us, a movie Baldoni directed and Lively co-produced that starred both of them, Lively filed a suit alleging that Baldoni caused her “severe emotional distress” and harassed her sexually on set. She claimed Baldoni talked about his “pornography addiction,” past sexual encounters, and the genitalia of cast and crew. The situation was so toxic, the suit claimed, Sony Pictures had to be brought in for an emergency meeting.
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Other claims in Lively’s original suit included Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath walking in on her while she was breastfeeding; Heath showing her a video of his wife naked; and the necessity for Lively to draw lines on the number of explicit sex scenes in the movie, which adapted Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name.
After news of the on-set discord spread in the media, Lively alleged that Baldoni hired Wayfarer Studios’ publicity department for “crisis management,” in an attempt to “destroy” her reputation. Several instances of alleged messages between Baldoni and PR reps seemed to show speculation on their part of how they could control the narrative.
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Ten out of 13 of Lively’s claims, including her allegations of sexual harassment, were dismissed before they reached a settlement. The scheduled trial was to address Lively’s accusations of breach of contract and retaliation. Prior to the settlement, lawyers from both sides had been arguing at a hearing about how much Lively claimed she had lost as a result of the lawsuit. Lively’s team estimated the figure was between $39 million and $143 million, while Baldoni’s placed it at $21 million.
Baldoni countersued Lively for $400 million, accusing her of defamation and claiming she’d walk away from the project unless he met her demands, but a judge dismissed his claims. The media had a field day about his allegations in the suit that Taylor Swift was instrumental in pressuring him to rewrite a scene; a Swift spokesperson said Baldoni was just using her name to draw attention to his claims. He also sued The New York Times for their reporting on Lively’s suit, but a judge also dismissed that filing.
