Lawyers for Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni speak out as settlement details revealed
Attorneys for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are speaking out for the first time since the former "It Ends with Us" co-stars reached a settlement earlier this week, ending the pair's nearly year-and-a-half-long legal dispute.
In a statement Thursday, Lively's lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson called the settlement a "resounding victory."
Baldoni lawyer Bryan Freedman also called the settlement a victory in a statement to ABC News on Thursday.
"Let's be clear, this is a win and total victory for the Wayfarer parties," Freedman said.
He added, "All that remains is a pending request for fees based on a very narrow issue that has been with the court since September 2025."
The statements come as court documents about the settlement between the co-stars were filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York.
According to the settlement documents, Baldoni, via his Wayfarer production company, and Lively agreed to settle their ongoing dispute on terms that Lively could still seek to recover attorney's fees and additional damages.
Once damages are determined, the documents state, neither side can appeal the decision further, and the remaining action would be dismissed with prejudice, closing the matter for good.
The castmates first became embroiled in a heated legal feud in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of the film "It Ends with Us," which Baldoni also directed.
Lively and Baldoni would go on to launch dueling lawsuits against each other in the weeks that followed. Both actors have consistently denied the claims made against them.
A judge ultimately dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit in June 2025 and later gutted most of Lively's lawsuit in April 2026, including her sexual harassment claims against Baldoni.
The two actors reached a settlement on Monday, announced by way of a joint statement from their respective legal teams.
"We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments," the statement read in part. "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."
It added, "We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard."
