Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have amicably resolved a legal dispute concerning allegations of sexual harassment on the set of the film “It Ends With Us.”
Attorneys representing both parties issued a joint statement expressing hope that the resolution will provide closure and enable everyone involved to move on constructively and peacefully, especially in fostering a respectful online environment.
Lively had accused Baldoni of conspiring with publicists to tarnish her reputation after she privately alleged that he sexually harassed her during the film’s production. Baldoni denied these allegations, countering that Lively fabricated the claims to gain creative control over the project.
A federal judge in New York had previously dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims, originally filed in 2024, but allowed two retaliation claims to proceed. The judge, Lewis J. Liman, noted that Lively could not pursue harassment claims under federal law as she was considered an independent contractor rather than an employee during her involvement with the film.
In response, Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. These claims were dismissed last June.
A trial for the unresolved claims had been scheduled to commence later this month before the settlement was reached.
“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, was released in August 2024, exceeding box office expectations.
In her lawsuit, Lively said that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene and pushed for nudity — against Lively’s wishes — during a scene in which her character was giving birth.
Baldoni denied doing anything outside the realm of the normal creative process of making a movie.
The judge, in the decision tossing out the sexual harassment claims, acknowledged the complexity of the matter, noting that creative artists “must have some amount of space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment.”
The trial was to focus on Lively’s claim that Baldoni and the studio retaliated against her sexual harassment complaints by hiring publicists to turn the public against her. Her lawyers said that campaign included hiring a “digital army” to post bogus negative content about Lively on social media platforms, and feeding “manufactured content to unwitting reporters.”
The lawsuit said the purpose was to “retaliate against Ms. Lively by battering her image, harming her businesses, and causing her family severe emotional harm.”
Baldoni’s lawyers have claimed it was Lively who was strategically manipulating Baldoni’s public image, partly by leveraging help from her famous friends.
Lively appeared in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including “The Town” and “The Shallows.”
Baldoni starred in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart” and wrote “Man Enough,” a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.
