Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni made headlines when they reached a settlement just days before their years-long lawsuit was set to go to trial on May 18. Now, amid chatter about the legal dispute surrounding “It Ends With Us,” new court filings reveal key details about the agreement and the legal battle that remains unresolved.Blake Lively’s lawyers issue a statementAccording to Deadline, the settlement notice filed in federal court in New York reveals that Lively has reserved the right to continue pursuing attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1, also known as the “Armed Defamation Survivor Protection Claims Act.”“Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Stipulated Parties acknowledge and agree that Blake Lively does not release and retain all claims, rights, and remedies with respect to its pending demand for attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1 in the Wayfarer lawsuit,” the filing said, according to Deadline and TMZ.The document also noted that “the stipulating parties agree not to withdraw Proposition 47.1 and it remains pending before this court,” adding that both sides have “irrevocably conceded.”[d] Any appeal from the court’s decision on Proposition 47.1.”Justin Baldoni waives the right to appealThe settlement means there will be no appeal from either side regarding the court’s ruling, effectively closing much of the high-profile case.
However, this could expose Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios executives and members of the crisis public relations team to further financial penalties if the court rules in Lively’s favor.“It withdraws Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Heath, Mr. Sarewitz, Jennifer Appel, Melissa Nathan, and all of our Wayfarer parties on this case, and they will have to face whatever punishment Judge Lehman finds appropriate under this new law,” Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCauley, told Deadline.McCauley added: “They have waived their right to appeal. In other words, this will be the final ruling of this court, and you will not be able to drag things out with years of appeals.”Lawyer claims ‘victory’ for Blake LivelyThe two lawyers, Israa A., said: Hudson and Michael Gottlieb: “This settlement represents a resounding victory for Blake Lively.”A source close to Lively also claimed that financial compensation was never the actress’s primary goal in the case.
“For Blake, it was never about the money — it was about exposing bad actors who hurt others, too,” the source told TMZ. “She is not settling her claims until documents are made public that expose the bad actors behind the smear campaigns — documents that have led to lawsuits and other investigations.”“With this proposal, she is breathing life into a groundbreaking law aimed at protecting survivors from retaliatory lawsuits,” the source added.Justin Baldoni’s lawyer claims ‘total victory’Meanwhile, Baldoni’s lawyer, Brian Friedman, confirmed that the outcome was in his clients’ favor. “Let’s be clear, this is a win and a complete victory for the Wayfarer parties,” Friedman told TMZ. “The court has already dismissed 10 of Ms. Lively’s 13 claims, including every sexual harassment claim, every defamation claim, and all claims against the individual defendants.”“Ms. Lively voluntarily dismissed the rest. In our view, they settled because they knew they would lose in court. All that remains is a pending motion for fees based on a very narrow issue that has been before the court since September 2025,” he added.The legal dispute began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation in connection with their work on “It Ends With Us.” Early this year, the court rejected 10 of her 13 claims.
