Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni Settle It Ends With Us Lawsuit Before Trial

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's production company Wayfarer Studios have reached a settlement ending a federal case before its scheduled May 18, 2026, trial, according to CNN. NBC News reported that the settlement terms were not publicly disclosed in initial reports.

The Details

The settlement closes a case that had been moving toward trial after an April 2026 ruling by Judge Lewis Liman narrowed Lively's claims, according to USA Today. USA Today reported that Liman dismissed most of Lively's claims a month earlier, while leaving breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation claims to proceed.

The case stemmed from Lively's late-2024 lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation tied to the filming of It Ends With Us, according to NBC News, BBC, and USA Today. Those outlets reported that Baldoni denied the claims and filed countersuits that were later dismissed.

Attorneys for Lively and for Baldoni and Wayfarer released a joint settlement statement on May 4, 2026, according to CNN, USA Today, and NBC News. The statement opened by saying, "The end product – the movie 'It Ends With Us' – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life."

The same joint statement acknowledged the strain around the dispute, according to CNN, USA Today, and BBC. "We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard," the attorneys said in the statement.

NBC News and BBC reported that the attorneys also said, "We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments." The statement accompanied the settlement announcement and marked the public close of the lawsuit, while NBC News reported that the settlement terms were not disclosed in early coverage.

The settlement also means previously unsealed private communications involving Taylor Swift will not be aired in court proceedings, according to Billboard. The litigation had drawn wider public attention because discovery and unsealing disputes exposed texts and emails involving Lively, Baldoni, Swift, and other celebrities, according to BBC.

Swift was not a party to the litigation, according to Billboard, USA Today, and NBC News. The briefed reporting tied the Swift angle to the discovery record and public coverage of unsealed exhibits, rather than to any claim that she was a litigant in the federal case.

Context

The legal fight had already changed shape before the settlement, according to USA Today and BBC. Judge Liman's April 2026 ruling substantially narrowed Lively's case but did not eliminate all claims, leaving a smaller case headed toward trial until the settlement halted it.

NBC News, BBC, and USA Today reported that Lively's lawsuit was filed in late 2024 and centered on alleged sexual harassment and retaliation connected to the filming of It Ends With Us. The same sourced record says Baldoni denied the claims and brought countersuits that were later dismissed.

The public profile of the case extended beyond the named parties because of the discovery and unsealing fights, according to BBC. Multiple outlets reported that texts and emails involving Lively, Baldoni, Swift, and other celebrities became part of the public coverage.

Billboard, USA Today, and NBC News reported that the story carried strong celebrity-interest value because Swift and other A-list names appeared in coverage of the litigation materials, even though Swift was not a party to the case. That distinction is central to the record described in the brief: the communications were part of the litigation coverage, but the litigation itself remained between Lively, Baldoni, and Wayfarer.

What's Next

The scheduled May 18, 2026, trial will not go forward because the case has settled, according to CNN. Billboard reported that, as a result, previously unsealed private communications involving Swift will not be aired in court proceedings.

NBC News reported that the terms of the settlement were not publicly disclosed in the initial reports. The public record described by CNN, NBC News, USA Today, BBC, and Billboard therefore identifies the settlement and the end of the trial track, but not the specific terms agreed to by the parties.

The joint statement from attorneys for Lively and for Baldoni and Wayfarer remains the parties' public explanation of the settlement announcement in the briefed reporting. In that statement, the attorneys said the film was "a source of pride" to those who worked on it, acknowledged that Lively's concerns "deserved to be heard," and said they remained committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.