No money changed hands in the settlement between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, but their legal battle isn’t completely over. Lively still has a motion for attorneys’ fees and damages linked to Baldoni’s defamation suit against her.
“Anyone trying to share the terms of the confidential settlement is misleading,” said a source familiar with the case. They added that more details should become public soon.
Recently, Lively decided to drop her remaining claims against Wayfarer Studios, avoiding a trial set for May 18. She accused the studio, where Baldoni is co-founder, of retaliating after she claimed sexual harassment occurred on set. Many of Lively’s original claims, including sexual harassment allegations, had already been dismissed.
Reaching this settlement allowed both parties to bypass the high costs associated with a federal trial. Reports suggest Lively received no compensation, while Baldoni’s team expressed relief at the case’s resolution.
However, Baldoni’s $400 million defamation suit, dismissed last June, still requires a final resolution. The suit, filed in January 2025, claimed Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, spread false claims to harm Baldoni’s reputation. A judge dismissed it, stating Lively’s claims were protected by legal privilege.
Lively’s legal team also sought fees and damages based on a 2023 California law designed to protect abuse survivors from retaliatory claims. The judge allowed her to renew this motion after initially denying it.
Baldoni’s lawyers opposed this renewed motion, arguing it infringed on his constitutional rights. They contended that the California law shouldn’t apply to actions in New York and New Jersey.
Advocacy groups like Equal Rights Advocates view Baldoni’s case as a significant example of the law’s intended protection for survivors. They stressed the case’s importance for other victims of sexual harassment, saying its outcome could influence their decisions to come forward.
This legal entanglement highlights ongoing conversations about survivors’ rights and the complexities of defamation laws in the entertainment industry. As more details emerge, the situation draws public attention, reflecting broader societal issues surrounding harassment and accountability.
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Blake Lively,It Ends With Us,Justin Baldoni
