Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni made headlines on May 18 when they reached a settlement just days before their year-long lawsuit went to trial. Now, amid controversy surrounding the legal battle surrounding ‘It Ends With Us’, new court filings reveal key details of the settlement and the still-unresolved legal battle.Blake Lively’s lawyers release a statementAccording to Deadline, the settlement notice filed in New York federal court reveals that Lively has reserved her right to continue seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1, known as the “Armed Defamation Survivor Protection Act.”“Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Stipulating Parties acknowledge and agree that Blake Lively does not release, and reserves all claims, rights and remedies for attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages pursuant to California Civil Code Section 47.1, Wayfarer State and Defiling State Actions.The document further stated, “The stipulating parties agree that the 47.1 Motion has not been withdrawn and remains pending before this Court,” adding that both parties have “unequivocally waived.”[d] Any appeal against the resolution of the Court 47.1 Motion”.Justin Baldoni waived his right to appealThe settlement means there will be no appeal of the court’s ruling, effectively closing much of the high-profile case. However, this leaves Baldoni, the CEO of Wayfarer Studios and members of the crisis PR team facing further financial penalties if the court rules in Lively’s favor.Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCowley, told Deadline, “Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Heath, Mr. Sarowitz, Jennifer Abel, Melisa Nathan, all the Wayfarer parties we have in this matter are recused, and Judge Liman should face the appropriate punishment under this new law.”“They’ve waived their right to appeal. In other words, this will be the final ruling of this court, and it won’t be able to hold things up with years of appeals,” McCowley added.The lawyer has declared a “victory” for Blake LivelyAttorneys Esra A. Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said, “This settlement is a tremendous victory for Blake Lively.”A source close to Lively also said that financial compensation was never the main goal of the actress’ case. “For Blake, this was never about the money; it was about exposing bad actors who hurt others. He didn’t settle his claims until the documents that exposed the bad actors behind the smear campaigns were made public, documents that have led to other lawsuits and investigations,” the source told TMZ.“With this motion, it breathes life into an innovative statute designed to protect survivors from retaliation lawsuits,” the source added.Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has declared a “complete victory”.Meanwhile, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said the outcome favored his client. “Let’s be clear, this is a victory and a total victory for the Wayfarer parties,” Freedman told TMZ. “The court has already dismissed 10 of Ms. Lively’s 13 claims, including all sexual harassment claims, all defamation claims, and all claims against the defendants.”“Ms. Livly voluntarily dismissed the rest. We believe they settled because they knew they would lose in court. The only pending fee request is based on a very close lawsuit that has been with the court since September 2025,” he added.The legal battle began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation related to ‘It Ends With Us’. Earlier this year, the court rejected 10 of his 13 claims.
