Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Reach Shocking Settlement, Avoid Trial
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have reached a settlement in their highly contentious It Ends With Us lawsuit.
"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," Lively, 38, and Baldoni, 42, said in a statement to Us Weekly via their attorneys on Monday, May 4. "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."
The settlement comes as both parties appeared to be preparing for their upcoming trial, with jury selection expected to begin on Monday, May 18.
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, however, previously recommended that both parties consider settling outside of court before a trial was scheduled to begin.
Lively and Baldoni's legal drama began in December 2024, when the actress accused her It Ends With Us costar and director of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and purposefully creating a smear campaign targeting the actress
Lively sued Baldoni, his publicity team and a series of other defendants, alleging that she was retaliated against for coming forward with her sexual harassment allegations.
Baldoni strongly denied the allegations throughout the legal battle and counter-sued Lively. In June 2025, however, a judge dismissed his lawsuit against the actress.
In April, Lively faced her own legal setback when Liman ruled that most of the Gossip Girl alum's legal claims against Baldoni would be dismissed. Some of the charges that were dismissed included allegations of harassment, defamation and conspiracy.
The U.S. District Judge in Manhattan allowed three claims to proceed to a trial, including claims of breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.
"We're very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants," attorneys for the Wayfarer Defendants said in a statement at the time. "These were very serious allegations, and we are grateful to the Court for its careful review of the facts, law and voluminous evidence that was provided."
Lively's legal team responded to the judge's decision, sharing their own perspective on the ruling.
"This case has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively's reputation because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial," Sigrid McCawley told Us in a statement at the time. "For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they've targeted."
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 4:42 PM.