Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached a settlement in their highly publicised legal dispute, with no money changing hands between the parties, according to reports. The unexpected agreement was announced on Monday, bringing an end to a bitter battle involving allegations of sexual harassment and a subsequent smear campaign during the production of their 2024 film It Ends With Us.
TMZ first reported on Tuesday that neither actor received any payment from the settlement. Sources told Page Six Hollywood that the combined legal fees for both sides amounted to approximately $60 million (£47 million).
Despite the settlement, a source close to the matter told Variety that Lively still has a pending motion for attorneys’ fees and damages related to Baldoni’s failed defamation suit against her. “Anyone purporting to confirm the terms of the confidential settlement at this point is misleading you,” the source said, adding that more details would appear on the court docket in the coming days.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, described the settlement as a “huge victory” for his client. The actors issued a joint statement expressing hope that the resolution would “bring closure and allow all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
The settlement was reached two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin on 18 May, saving both parties significant legal costs and further reputational damage. Earlier this year, a judge dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee, and also threw out a separate defamation and extortion lawsuit filed by Baldoni against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
