Actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached a settlement in their contentious, highly publicized legal battle over their 2024 film \u201cIt Ends With Us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Attorneys for both stars said in a joint statement Monday that they hope the settlement \u201cbrings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThe end product \u2014 the movie \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d \u2014 is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,\u201d Bryan Freedman and Ellyn Garofalo, who represented Baldoni, and Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, who represented Lively, said in the statement<\/a>. \u201cRaising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors \u2014 and all survivors \u2014 is a goal that we stand behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lively and Baldoni went head-to-head in lawsuits filed after the movie\u2019s release. Lively, one of the film\u2019s producers, accused Baldoni, who directed, of sexual harassment, while Baldoni accused Lively of defamation and extortion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A judge tossed out Baldoni\u2019s lawsuit, and later tossed most of Lively\u2019s claims as well, but her accusations of breach of contract and retaliation were headed for trial this spring before Monday\u2019s settlement. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lively went public with her claim of sexual harassment just a few months after \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d was released. According to her complaint<\/a>, Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and Baldoni met to discuss issues Lively had previously brought up with production, including Baldoni making \u201csexual comments\u201d to her and other female cast or crew members, asking about Lively\u2019s weight and telling Lively about the \u201cpornography addiction\u201d he allegedly had. Everyone in the meeting agreed that Baldoni would stop that behavior, stop adding sex scenes to the script and stop showing nude images of women to Lively, the complaint said. The complaint also accused Baldoni of participating in a \u201csocial manipulation\u201d campaign to \u201cdestroy\u201d Lively\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While promoting \u201cIt Ends With Us,\u201d Lively faced backlash for how she marketed the movie. Lively often<\/a> told the press and audiences to \u201cgrab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see\u201d the film, which centers on domestic violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n About a month after Lively filed her lawsuit, Baldoni countersued Lively<\/a> for defamation, civil extortion and invasion of privacy, alleging that Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, tried to extort and defame him with sexual harassment accusations. Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed the countersuit a few months later, as well as Baldoni\u2019s libel suit against The New York Times over its article<\/a> \u201c\u2018We Can Bury Anyone\u2019: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,\u201d which details allegations that Baldoni waged a campaign to ruin Lively\u2019s reputation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The legal battle created buzzworthy headlines, with celebrities like Taylor Swift<\/a>, Ben Affleck and others mentioned in court documents. Texts between Lively and Swift were released as part of the lawsuits, offering a peek into their friendship. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/69f907af170000b79984466f.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
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