Blake Lively's legal team appeared before a New York judge on Monday, demanding legal fees and damages from her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni, just a month after the two parties reached a settlement in their protracted legal dispute.
The 38-year-old actress's lawyers argued that the defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, was a retaliatory move prohibited under California law. The exact sum sought by Lively has not been disclosed.
Lively originally filed a complaint against Baldoni in December 2024, alleging inappropriate comments about his sex life and attempts to alter the film to include unscripted sex scenes. She also claimed Baldoni orchestrated a PR and social media campaign to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and Wayfarer countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for extortion and defamation, but a judge dismissed those claims last year. Federal Judge Lewis Liman also dismissed some of Lively's claims but upheld her allegations of retaliation.
The full terms of the out-of-court settlement remain confidential. It Ends with Us, based on Colleen Hoover's novel, earned over $350 million at the box office in 2024.
