Key Points
Justin Baldoni received support from his Jane the Virgin costars after speaking out on his legal saga with Blake Lively.
Gina Rodriguez and Brett Dier posted messages of love and support.
They starred together in the CW series from 2014 to 2019.
Justin Baldoni is receiving support from his former costars after he addressed his settlement in his legal saga with It Ends With Us star Blake Lively for the first time.
Baldoni and his wife, Emily, released a video message on Instagram Wednesday thanking followers for their support during a “painful” time filled “injustice” and “a lot of trauma.”
In the comments section, his Jane the Virgin costars Gina Rodriguez and Brett Dier sent words of encouragement, with Rodriguez writing, “♥️ love you friends. Por vida,” and Dier posting, “I love you guys ❤️❤️.”
The trio worked together on the CW series from 2014 to 2019, which starred Rodriguez as Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a 23-year-old virgin who becomes pregnant after being artificially inseminated by mistake. Baldoni and Dier played her love interests Rafael Solano and Michael Cordero, respectively.
Other celebrity friends including Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots, and Christina Perri also shared their public support, wth Inaba noting, “Healing takes time…. and it takes community. Sending you both soooo much love❤️.”
In their video message, Baldoni and his wife noted that they “have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it’s not because we haven’t had anything to say.”
“It just didn’t feel like the right time,” Baldoni continued, with Emily adding that, after praying about it, “this feels like the moment.”
The pair addressed the gratitude they have for so many people that got them through the situation, which legally began in late 2024 when Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual assault and creating a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends With Us in 2023.
In the video, Emily said, “It doesn’t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years. We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women… reality is that there’s been a lot of trauma for us to move through as a family.”
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in ‘It Ends With Us’
Credit: Nicole Rivelli/Sony
Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and Lively reached a settlement ahead of a trial on May 4 after months of legal back-and-forth.
The development came after a Southern District of New York judge threw out 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s bombshell lawsuit against It Ends With Us director Baldoni on April 3.
Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy against Baldoni, according to court documents obtained by Entertainment Weekly.
The May trial would have instead focused on her claims of breach of contract, one claim of retaliation in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, and aiding and abetting in retaliation in violation of FEHA.
As Baldoni noted at the top of his and Emily’s Wednesday video, “Lively ultimately settled the primary lawsuit for $0. The judge later ruled that Baldoni and Wayfarer are responsible for her legal fees and costs directly tied to defending against Baldoni’s dismissed defamation countersuit, though the court has not yet ruled on the exact amount.”
Lively’s team shared a statement with EW following the settlement, insisting it was “a resounding victory” for the actress.
“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,” the statement read. “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.”
A joint statement was released on behalf of both of their legal teams following the settlement, as well.
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“The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — 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 parties said in the statement.
“We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard,” the statement continued. “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.”
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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