Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni settle lawsuit over “It Ends With Us”
by Jack Queen
NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) – Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled a lawsuit filed by Lively over filming of the 2024 romantic drama “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni’s production company said on Monday, avoiding a civil trial scheduled for May when both actors were expected to testify about Lively’s allegations of sexual abuse by Baldoni.
The settlement ends more than a year of bitter litigation that drew intense attention when details of Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s counterclaims leaked into court files.
A representative for Lively did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lively, widely known for her role on “Gossip Girl,” sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in December 2024, seeking damages for harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws.
He said that the defendants created a sexually charged atmosphere during the production of the film, and then started a smear campaign to silence him.
Baldoni, who directed and starred in the movie “It Ends With Us”, said that he quickly resolved Lively’s concerns and said that he “was entitled to work with a crisis management firm after Lively began to publicly humiliate him.”
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment allegations on April 2, but details of the actor’s allegations could still emerge in a civil trial over the retaliation allegations scheduled for May 18.
The dispute became public in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Department of Civil Rights and subsequently filed a lawsuit. A related article in the New York Times was titled: “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
Baldoni sued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation, saying they were trying to destroy his reputation, but Liman dismissed the suit in June. The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s libel lawsuit against the Times.
In “It Ends With Us,” Lively plays 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.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Franklin Paul)
