Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni resolve ‘It End’s With Us’ controversy ahead of Met Gala 2026

After nearly two years of legal battle, actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their feud over the film ‘It End’s With Us’, ending a long and public courtroom battle.

According to the publication, the settlement comes just two weeks before a scheduled federal trial.

There was tension in this case for months, with both sides making serious claims against each other.

Lively had previously accused Baldoni, who was also the film’s director, of sexual harassment during shooting. She also said that when she raised concerns, she faced retaliation and a planned online campaign was launched against her.

Now, in a joint statement released on Monday, both sides talked about moving forward and closing this chapter. According to Variety, the statement read, “We’re proud of everyone who worked to make this a reality. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal we stand behind.” The statement added, “We recognize that this process presented challenges and that the concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserve to be heard. We are fully committed to a workplace free from misconduct and an abusive environment. We are fully hopeful that this will bring an end to the matter and allow all involved to move forward constructively and peacefully, including in a respectful environment online.”

Earlier in the case, Judge Lewis Lyman had dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 civil claims, including all harassment claims. Variety said the remaining claims included retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract.

At the time, Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCauley, hinted that a settlement could be reached while they were still set to go to trial. According to Variety, Lively also shared her thoughts publicly, saying she took legal action to stand up against what she called “retaliation” and get a safe working space.

The legal battle began in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint. Around the same time, according to Variety, a report in The New York Times shared messages it said were from Baldoni’s team discussing how to respond to the claims. Baldoni later filed a defamation suit against Lively and the publication, saying his image had been damaged. However, the court rejected his case at the initial stage itself.

Over time, most of Lively’s claims were also dismissed for legal and technical reasons, including her status as an independent contractor and the location of the film shoot. (ANI)