Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal dispute over It Ends With Us comes to an end, both sides claim victory

Actor Blake Lively was able to secure a minor victory over fellow actor and director Justin Baldoni in court over their now-settled legal claims over their 2024 film, It Ends With Us. A US judge ruled on Friday that Blake can recover some legal costs from Baldoni, but not punitive damages and other relief she sought. FILE PHOTO: Actor Blake Lively leaves the courthouse after 'settlement conference' at the United States District Court in New York City, U.S., February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo (REUTERS) Blake Lively's partial win over Baldoni Judge Lewis J. Liman said in a written decision that Lively can recover legal fees and costs related to her defence against a countersuit Baldoni brought against her after she sued him in December 2024. The judge cited a California law designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits meant to intimidate and silence victims. The law requires that the plaintiff must pay the defendant’s legal fees and costs if a defamation claim made in response to a lawsuit is dismissed. Judge Liman said an exception would be made if Baldoni had proved that malice fueled Lively's claims, but the filmmaker produced no evidence to show that. No punitive damages However, the judge rejected Blake Lively's claims to triple any damages and pursue punitive damages as well under California law, saying that they did not fall within “carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.” The bulk of the dispute between the two actors was settled last month, just as a trial was about to start on Lively’s retaliation claims. In their statements, both sides cast the ruling as a victory. Blake Lively's lawyers said the award of legal fees “makes it clear that Ms Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence she acted with malice, and that she is the prevailing defendant.” On the other hand, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, said, “Once again, she failed,” adding, “Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished. There was no sexual harassment. There was no retaliation. There was no smear campaign. The court recognised it, the record reflects it, and we have maintained it from the very beginning.” The dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni In late 2024, Blake Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. She claimed the actor engineered an effort to damage her public reputation and credibility. The two worked together on the romantic drama It Ends With Us, which Baldoni also directed. In his countersuit, he claimed that the complaints about his behaviour were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie. He sued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The court first dismissed Baldoni's countersuit last year and then dismissed Lively's sexual harassment claims weeks ago. It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a relationship that devolves into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box-office expectations.