<\/p>\n
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni\u2019s year-and-a-half long legal battle has come to an end weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in New York City.<\/p>\n
The \u201cIt Ends with Us\u201d stars agreed to settle Lively\u2019s breach of contract and retaliation\u00a0lawsuit May 4, a spokesperson for defendant Wayfarer Studios, cofounded by Baldoni, confirmed to USA TODAY. Details of the settlement were unspecified.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end product \u2013 the movie \u2018It Ends With Us\u2019 \u2013 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 \u2013 \u200band all survivors \u2013 is a goal that we stand behind,\u201d a joint statement by both parties\u2019 attorneys read.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard,\u201d Bryan Freedman, Ellyn Garofalo, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said. \u201cWe remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and \u2060allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contentious case between Lively, 38, her director and costar Baldoni, 42, and his codefendants involved competing accounts of how their relationships broke down on the set of the \u200c2024 Colleen Hoover book adaptation as well as allegations of intentional reputation damage and sexual harassment.<\/p>\n
The high-profile dispute ensnared \u200bother celebrities in Lively and Baldoni\u2019s orbit as the legal discovery process in their case exposed the stars\u2019 private communications. Hundreds of exhibits, which were unsealed in January, included messages from\u00a0Taylor Swift,\u00a0Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and costars\u00a0Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, among other figures.<\/p>\n
The move comes a month after U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman on April 2 effectively dismissed the bulk of Lively\u2019s legal claims \u2013 including sexual harassment, defamation and false light invasion of privacy \u2013 after Baldoni\u2019s lawyers made a bid to \u2060avert a trial scheduled to begin May 18.<\/p>\n
At the time, the defense\u2019s lawyers, Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, celebrated the move, saying, \u201cWhat\u2019s \u200cleft is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting \u200cour defense to the remaining claims in court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liman\u2019s order mostly granted \u2013 and in part denied \u2013 the defendants\u2019 motion for summary judgment.<\/p>\n
The sexual harassment legal claims were dismissed due to an issue of jurisdiction and employment. Liman wrote that though Lively sued under California law, the alleged misconduct took place as they \u2060filmed in New Jersey. He also noted that the facts \u201coverwhelmingly point\u201d to Lively being an independent contractor, rather than an employee, and could not sue on the grounds of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.<\/p>\n
The judge allowed three of her 13 claims \u2014 including breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation, to proceed to trial. The \u200cremaining allegations pertained to It Ends With Us Movie LLC (breach of agreement \u200cand retaliation), Wayfarer Studios (retaliation) and the company Lively had accused of organizing an online campaign that cast Lively in a negative light, The Agency Group PR LLC (aiding in retaliation).<\/p>\n
Baldoni\u2019s codefendants included Wayfarer Studios, its cofounder Steve Sarowitz, producer Jamey Heath, crisis public relations specialist Melissa Nathan and publicist Jennifer Abel.<\/p>\n
After months of online speculation about a feud between \u2060the stars of the Colleen Hoover movie adaptation, The New York Times 2024 published a detailed report on Lively\u2019s allegations in December . The article was \u200bheadlined, \u201c\u2018We Can Bury Anyone\u2019: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The piece came out \u2060at the same \u200btime that Lively filed a complaint in California\u00a0alleging sexual harassment and retaliation by Baldoni and Heath, which was followed by\u00a0a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.<\/p>\n
Lively alleged Baldoni engaged in inappropriate conduct on- and off-set, writing in her suit that she and other \u201cIt Ends with Us\u201d cast and crew members \u201cexperienced invasive unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her suit, Lively claimed Baldoni \u201coften referred to women in the workplace as \u2018sexy,\u2019\u201d and \u201cwhen they expressed discomfort, Mr. Baldoni would deflect or try to pass it off.\u201d In \u2060one alleged incident, Baldoni told a female cast member her leather pants looked \u201csexy,\u201d and when the comment was \u201crebuffed,\u201d he told her, \u201cI can say that because my wife is here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also alleged Baldoni and Heath \u201cinvaded [her] privacy\u201d throughout filming \u201cby entering her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding her infant child.\u201d In retaliation for her complaints about the alleged conduct, Lively says, the production company and \u2060PR agency coordinated an \u201castroturfing campaign\u201d to discredit and \u201cbury\u201d her.<\/p>\n
Baldoni and his codefendants have repeatedly denied the actress\u2019 claims; Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and their publicists sued The New York Times for libel on Dec. 31, 2024, but the action was later dismissed by the judge.<\/p>\n
The parties formally responded to Lively\u2019s legal complaint with a Jan. 16, 2025, countersuit. They accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane of extortion, defamation and false light invasion of privacy, among other allegations.<\/p>\n
Lively \u201cseize[d] control\u201d of the \u2060film and \u201cset out to destroy Plaintiffs\u2019 livelihoods and businesses if they did not \u200cbend to her incessant demands, and when they refused to give way, she did exactly that, accusing them of foul and reprehensible \u200bsexual misconduct,\u201d the lawsuit alleged. The \u200ccomplaint went on to claim that Lively\u2019s allegations of sexual harassment by Baldoni were \u201cfalsified\u201d and \u201cused throughout the production of this film in order to take control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wayfarer, Baldoni, Heath and \u200btheir publicists \u201cwere the targets of a calculated and vitriolic smear campaign,\u201d not Lively, they argued in their lawsuit.<\/p>\n
The two lawsuits were ultimately consolidated with Lively\u2019s federal suit into one case in New York federal court.<\/p>\n
In October 2025, Liman\u00a0entered a final judgment\u00a0in Baldoni and his codefendants\u2019 allegations, effectively terminating their case while keeping the door open to an appeal and a refiled complaint related to contract matters.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n