Legal battle between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni it’s not quite over yet.Just months ago, the two avoided a trial over Lively’s claims that Baldoni had reportedly led a campaign to smear her after she was accused of sexually harassing her on the set of the 2024 film “It Ends With Us.”“
Blake Lively is heading to court to pay legal fees and penalties
But on Monday, Lively’s lawyers were back in court, trying to get a judge to order Baldoni to pay her legal bills plus other penalties. They say he is entitled to the money under California law because a lawsuit against Baldoni, which he said defamed and extorted him, was thrown out by a judge last year.Neither actor appeared before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York.
Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have slammed Blake Lively
Baldoni and her attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, accused Lively of trying to “make an end” of a trial that was dropped when the two agreed to settle. Although the financial terms of the settlement were not publicly announced, Garofalo told the judge that it was settled “without paying one cent of the $300 million in damages that they were seeking” to Baldoni and his production company.“Reopening this would essentially mean reopening discovery for what is essentially an alternative trial, new experts, expert testimony,” he said.
Blake Lively’s lawyers hit Justin Baldoni
Lively’s attorney, Michael Gottlieb, asserts that Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively was the type of lawsuit designed to stop the California law. The law aims to protect survivors of sexual harassment from lengthy and damaging legal battles.Liman did not make an immediate decision after hearing more than an hour of discussion.
About the ‘It Ends With Us’ legal battle
The two actors have been battling it out in court since late 2024 over the grueling filming of “It Ends With Us.”Lively said that during filming Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries during the filming of a love scene and encouraged nudity – against Lively’s wishes – in a scene where her character was giving birth.Lively then accused Baldoni and his production company of orchestrating an effort to damage her public reputation and credibility if she went public with her complaints.
Regarding the case of Justin Baldoni
Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and co-starred with Lively, denied harassing her or orchestrating an advertising campaign. He said the complaints about his behavior were made by Lively as part of an effort to gain creative control of the film. She countersued, accusing Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.The judge ultimately dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims, ruling that they could not proceed under federal law because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee on a movie set. The retaliation claim went to trial when both sides settled.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settle their dispute
In a joint statement after reaching the settlement, both sides said they agreed Lively’s concerns “were worth hearing” and that they “remain strongly committed to workplaces free of misconduct and unproductive environments.”“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling 2016 novel about a relationship suffering from domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded expectations at the box office.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 the films “The Town” and “The Shallows.”Baldoni starred in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart,” and wrote the book “Man Enough,” a book that challenges traditional notions of masculinity.
