Blake Lively’s lawyers have declared a “resounding victory” over Justin Baldoni after their highly publicized legal dispute, even though no money has reportedly changed hands.
The It Ends With Us stars announced they had reached a shock settlement on Monday, ending a contentious battle over accusations of sexual harassment and an alleged subsequent smear campaign during the production of their 2024 film.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Lively’s lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said: “This settlement is a resounding victory for Blake Lively. By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Lively.
The statement continued: “And by admitting that Ms. Lively’s concerns ‘deserved to be heard,’ the defendants have ended once and for all the fiction that Ms. Lively ‘fabricated’ claims of sexual harassment and retaliation. From day one, Blake Lively’s mission was clear: expose and hold accountable those who weaponize smear campaigns and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors. That mission continues.”
It comes after Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told TMZ Tuesday that the settlement was also a “huge victory” for his client.
Multiple outlets reported this week that both parties earned no money from the settlement. Meanwhile, citing sources, Page Six Hollywood reported that the pair’s legal teams made $60 million combined from the proceedings.
While a settlement has been reached, Lively still has a pending motion for attorneys’ fees and damages in connection with Baldoni’s failed defamation suit against her, a source close to the matter told Variety.
“Anyone purporting to confirm the terms of the confidential settlement at this point is misleading you,” the source said. “More information about this confidential settlement will be on the court’s docket in the coming days.”
Lively, 38, had originally filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, 42, in January 2025, accusing him of conspiring with publicists to preemptively destroy her reputation after she privately alleged sexual harassment on the movie set.
Baldoni, who directed the film and starred alongside Lively, consistently denied the harassment claims and any involvement in a smear campaign. He maintained that Lively’s complaints were fabricated in an attempt to gain creative control over the movie.
In a joint statement, the parties declared: “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind. ... 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 was reached two weeks before the case was scheduled to go to trial on May 18, saving both parties huge legal fees and potentially more image-damaging revelations.
It comes after both actors had some of their legal claims tossed out by the judge in recent months. Lively’s sexual harassment claims were dismissed in early April by Judge Lewis J. Liman, who ruled that she couldn’t pursue them under federal law because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee when she worked on the movie.
The same judge previously dismissed a lawsuit in which Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, accused Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
