Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle Lawsuit Two Weeks Before Bruising Trial Set to Begin

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their litigation battle, two weeks before they were scheduled to begin a trial that was widely expected to be brutal and deeply personal.

The two have been warring through court filings and press releases after working together on the 2024 film, It Ends With Us. Based on a 2016 book by Colleen Hoover, the film starred Baldoni and Lively as a couple in an abusive relationship. Baldoni also directed the film.

In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni and his production company for sexual harassment and retaliation, accusing him of using his team of publicists to launch a digital smear campaign against her. Baldoni filed his own litigation against Lively, Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times, accusing the paper of libel in how it reported Lively’s allegations against him.

Baldoni’s lawsuits were dismissed last November; a judge dismissed ten out of of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni but her three remaining claims — retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract — were headed to trial this month.

Several outlets made puns with the movie name to report “It ends with a settlement,” including TMZ and Variety, as the news broke on Monday.

The parties issued a joint statement about the settlement:

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. We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. 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.

TMZ’s report noted that this statement did not include any apology from Baldoni and “[i]t appears no money is changing hands.”

“Most legal experts say there would have been no winners” if the case had gone to trial, reported TMZ. “Both Justin and Blake would have been raked over the coals.”

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