NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have agreed to end their legal battle over the acrimonious production of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us.”
The two sides settled their legal dispute Monday ahead of a planned trial over Lively’s claims that Baldoni conspired with publicists to preemptively destroy her reputation after she privately accused him of sexually harassing her on the movie set.
In a joint statement, the sides said: “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind. ... 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."
Baldoni, who directed the film and starred in it with Lively, had denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He’d claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.
The settlement will allow both sides to avoid a trial that would have featured Hollywood’s ugliest side and potentially led to more image-damaging revelations.
Both actors had some of their legal claims tossed out by the judge in recent months.
Lively’s sexual harassment claims were dismissed in early April by Judge Lewis J. Liman, who ruled that she couldn’t pursue them under federal law because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee when she worked on the movie.
The same judge previously dismissed a lawsuit in which Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, accused Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, was released in August 2024, exceeding box office expectations.
In her lawsuit, Lively said that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene, and pushed for nudity — against Lively’s wishes — during a scene in which her character was giving birth.
Source: WPLG
