With two weeks to go before a scheduled trial, “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni announced a surprise settlement Monday, ending a dispute that had played out in court hearings and headlines for almost a year and a half.
Publicly, lawyers for the former co-stars continued to hash out key pretrial issues before a federal judge.
But behind the scenes, talks to resolve the case began in earnest last month, after a judge dismissed most of Lively’s claims, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News. The teams held meetings over the weekend and finalized the deal Monday, the source said. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
By Monday evening, after Lively and Baldoni issued a joint statement, Lively stepped out in full glam for the Met Gala, where she smiled and waved to fans as she made her way up the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
The appearance marked an unofficial close of a chapter for Lively, whose personal life (including her relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds and friendship with Taylor Swift) became a public fascination amid the ongoing Baldoni dispute.
Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni, told NBC News his client is “feeling pretty good” about the settlement.
“There was a willingness to get the case resolved, given the opportunity and the position the case was set, and so, you know, when we were presented with an opportunity, we took that opportunity,” Freedman added.
In December 2024, Lively alleged in a sexual harassment complaint that Baldoni repeatedly harassed her on the set and crossed boundaries during intimate scenes in the film, which had been released in August of that year.
The movie, which was based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, follows Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and her abusive relationship with a neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (played by Baldoni). Baldoni optioned the film in 2019 with Wayfarer Studios and later signed on to direct and star in it. Lively was also a producer.
Lively also alleged that Wayfarer Studios retaliated against her after she complained about allegations of misconduct on the set.
Baldoni and Wayfarer denied all of Lively's claims.
In January 2025, Baldoni countersued Lively and Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion. He argued that they tried to wreck his reputation and accused Lively of using her grievances as a way to “seize control” of the movie, which was co-produced by Wayfarer and the Sony-owned Columbia Pictures.
How the Lively-Baldoni dispute affected both actors’ careers
Baldoni also lodged a defamation suit against The New York Times over an article headlined “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
Liman tossed out both suits last year.
The stars’ legal saga continued, however, with a trial set for May 18.
Lively's suit centered on 13 claims, including sexual harassment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark law that bars employment discrimination based on gender and other grounds. She sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman tossed out 10 of Lively's claims against Baldoni, including harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. Liman let three other claims stand: breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.
"The reason this case was fought so hard was because of the sexual harassment claims, and so when summary judgment happened and all of those claims, 10 or 13 claims, were thrown out, I think that changed the nature of the case and the nature of what it was about and the effect of it," Freedman said Monday.
Later in the month, the actors’ legal teams debated expert witness testimony before Liman. He then asked both sides to look into the availability of some of the expert witnesses they planned to call at trial to participate in a pretrial hearing.
That hearing had been scheduled for Friday.
In their joint statement Monday, Freedman, Ellyn Garofalo, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, attorneys for Baldoni and Lively, said: "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.”
"This is about the domestic violence and the survivors in that community. And it's what the, it's what this movie was always supposed to be about," Freedman told NBC News. "And the only sadness that I really feel about that is that the focus has been taken off them, and it should remain on that. I think that's the important thing about the statement."
Freedman said Baldoni welcomes the chance to tell his side of the story.
“I think he absolutely wants a chance to tell his story. And I’m sure one day, maybe sooner than later, he’ll tell his story, and we’ll get to hear his story,” Freedman said.
“But you know when presented with an opportunity that you don’t have to tell your story in front of, you know, in front of jurors and other people in a courtroom, and you actually have the time and the and the ability to tell the full and complete narrative of what you’ve experienced, I think that’s what he really wants, and I’m excited for him to be able to have that opportunity.”
