Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached an agreement to resolve their legal dispute, abruptly ending a high-profile and increasingly controversial battle that was set to go to trial in two weeks.
“The parties to the litigation between Blake Lively and Wayfarer Studios have reached an agreement to resolve the matters,” attorneys for both sides said in a joint statement Monday in a case that has attracted enormous attention for more than a year.
“The final product, the film 'It Ends With Us,' is a source of pride for 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 we support. We recognize that the process presented challenges and recognize that the concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of wrongdoing and unproductive environments. We sincerely hope that this will bring closure and allow everyone involved move forward constructively and peacefully, including a respectful online environment.”
The statement did not disclose terms of the settlement and it was not immediately clear whether any financial components were part of the resolution or how the parties addressed legal fees.
The bitter dispute arose from the production of the 2024 romantic drama “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni directed and co-starred in alongside Lively. Adapted from a novel by author Colleen Hoover about a woman struggling with domestic violence and emotional abuse, the film grossed $350 million worldwide but was quickly overshadowed by reports of a rift between its two leads, with both sides offering starkly different accounts of what happened during and after filming.
Lively sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and other claims related to her experience on the film. The complaint described alleged conduct that included producers showing nude videos and images of women, comments about Lively's weight, and physical touching and sexual comments without her consent.
Baldoni denied the allegations, arguing that the dispute had been mischaracterized. For more than a year, the conflict escalated into a series of lawsuits, countersuits and public grievances that drew intense attention in Hollywood and touched on broader issues about workplace conduct and retaliation in the post-#MeToo era.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman dismissed most of Lively's claims, including her sexual harassment allegations, significantly narrowing the case ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin May 18 in New York.
The remaining claims, largely focused on alleged retaliation, were expected to be the focus of the trial, which was likely to last two or three weeks, a proceeding that would have drawn on witness testimony and competing accounts of what happened on set, with risks to the reputations of both sides. Lively was expected to testify, and potential witnesses included her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds.
Lively rose to fame on the television series “Gossip Girl” and has since starred in films such as “The Age of Adaline” and “A Simple Favor.” Baldoni is best known for his role on the CW series “Jane the Virgin” and has built a parallel career as a director, with credits including “Five Feet Apart” and “Clouds.”
