UPDATE: In a wild twist, TMZ is reporting, "Blake Lively went in like a lion when she sued Justin Baldoni, but she went out like a lamb ... because TMZ has learned she got no money in the settlement."
The two-year legal battle between It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni and co-star Blake Lively has finally ended with an out-of-court settlement.
It started in 2024 when the actress filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni. The battle had boiled over into the press, pulling Marvel Studios (Deadpool & Wolverine's Nicepool was labelled as a parody of Baldoni) and Taylor Swift into the fray.
Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit was dismissed months ago, and Lively's sexual harassment allegations were dropped from the case by a judge last month. Despite that, the case was still set to go to trial on May 18, and not dissimilar to Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard, the expectation was that a lot of mud would be slung in the courtroom.
Settlement talks have been ongoing for weeks, and according to Deadline, "With this now primarily a corporate case for the defendants, and a lot of something yucky still to be flung at the docket by both sides heading towards trial, calmer heads and reputations ultimately prevailed. In part, I hear the settlement came out of [a] cost analysis on both sides of what could be next for their careers and those of the people close to them."
We don't know how much the lawsuit was settled for, but both Lively, who made her MCU debut in 2024 as Deadpool & Wolverine's Ladypool, and Baldoni will be hoping to move on from a messy legal battle that's defined their respective careers for the past two years.
Their respective lawyers, Bryan Freedman, Ellyn Garofalo, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, have issued a joint statement:
"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."
Only time will tell what's next for Baldoni and Lively in Hollywood. Both have their fair share of supporters, but the damage done to their reputations has been significant and bouncing back from each other's claims won't come easily.