NEW YORK (AP) — Despite reaching a settlement just one month ago, the courtroom drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni continues.
The two performers recently announced they had resolved their dispute without going to trial, ending Lively’s allegations that Baldoni orchestrated a reputation-damaging campaign against her following her accusations of sexual harassment during production of their 2024 movie “It Ends With Us.”
However, on Monday, Lively’s attorneys appeared before a judge seeking to force Baldoni to cover her attorney costs and additional penalties. Her legal team argued she deserves compensation under California legislation because a judge dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit last year, which had accused her of defamation and extortion.
Both performers were absent from the proceedings in front of U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York.
Baldoni’s attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, criticized Lively’s team for attempting “an end run” around the trial that was avoided through their settlement agreement. Though the monetary details of their resolution remain confidential, Garofalo informed the court it concluded without Baldoni or his production company “paying a cent of the $300 million in damages she was demanding.”
“Reopening this for basically what is an alternative trial would involve reopening discovery, new experts, new expert depositions,” she said.
Michael Gottlieb, representing Lively, contends that Baldoni’s legal action against Lively exemplified exactly the type of case the California statute aims to prevent. The legislation seeks to shield sexual harassment survivors from lengthy and harmful court battles.
Following more than an hour of legal arguments, Liman withheld an immediate decision.
The performers have been engaged in litigation since the end of 2024 concerning the troubled production of “It Ends With Us.”
Lively had alleged that Baldoni made unwelcome remarks about her physical appearance during filming, crossed physical boundaries while shooting intimate scenes, and insisted on nudity during a childbirth sequence despite her objections.
She further claimed Baldoni and his production company then coordinated a campaign to harm her public image and undermine her credibility, anticipating she might publicly reveal her grievances.
Baldoni, who both directed and appeared in the dark romantic drama alongside Lively, rejected claims of harassment or orchestrating any smear tactics. He maintained that her allegations were fabricated as part of her scheme to gain creative authority over the film. His countersuit targeted both Lively and her spouse, “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion.
The court eventually threw out Lively’s sexual harassment allegations, determining she couldn’t pursue them under federal statutes since she worked as an independent contractor rather than an employee on set. Her retaliation claims were proceeding toward trial before the settlement was reached.
Following their agreement, both parties issued a joint statement acknowledging that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” and expressing their shared commitment to “workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
“It Ends With Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s popular 2016 novel exploring a relationship that becomes abusive, hit theaters in August 2024 and performed better than anticipated at the box office.
Lively gained recognition through the 2005 movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and starred in “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, later appearing in films such as “The Town” and “The Shallows.”
Baldoni gained fame through the television comedy “Jane the Virgin,” helmed the 2019 movie “Five Feet Apart,” and authored “Man Enough,” examining contemporary masculinity concepts.
