Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Settle ‘It Ends With Us’ Lawsuit

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their contentious legal dispute tied to their film It Ends With Us just weeks before it was scheduled to head to trial. 

In a joint statement shared with Rolling Stone, lawyers for Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios 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.”

They continued: “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. 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.” 

While details of the settlement are unknown, Baldoni is especially happy with the outcome, Rolling Stone has learned.

Jury selection for the highly-anticipated trial was slated to begin Monday, May 18, and the trial was expected to last between six to eight weeks. Both parties seemed ready for court proceedings to finally kick off, with court submissions being filed as recently as last Friday. 

The protracted legal battle dates back to Lively’s claims that Baldoni and Wayfarer fostered a toxic, sexually-charged work environment that discriminated against women on the set of It Ends With Us. Lively also alleged that Baldoni and the film’s producers orchestrated a smear campaign to “silence” and “eviscerate” the actress. 

Baldoni and Wayfarer denied Lively’s claims and took legal action of their own. Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, accusing her of defamation, though that was eventually dismissed. He also sued The New York Times for defamation over their story, which broke the news of Lively’s original sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni. But that suit was also dismissed. 

For all the allegations thrown around over the past couple of years, the scope of the case had narrowed significantly. Earlier this month, the judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims — including allegations of sexual harassment — meaning the trial was set to focus primarily on retaliation and breach of contract.

This story is developing…