Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni return to court over post-settlement fee dispute in It Ends with Us case
Less than a month after settling a lawsuit tied to the film It Ends with Us, actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are heading back to court over an unresolved financial dispute involving legal fees and damages.
A federal judge in New York has scheduled a June 1 hearing requiring both sides to address outstanding issues related to Lively’s request to recover attorney’s fees, costs, and damages from Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios. The judge has also ordered both parties to submit written briefs by May 31 outlining their positions before the court decides whether any payments will be awarded.
The upcoming hearing will focus on what compensation, if any, Lively may be entitled to under the terms of the case’s resolution and what legal standards should apply in determining those claims.
The court order has also prompted renewed scrutiny of how the case was settled. Defense attorney Mark Geragos said the latest developments raise questions about whether Lively’s legal team pushed for a quick settlement after earlier rulings significantly narrowed her claims.
Geragos argued that prior court decisions weakened key parts of Lively’s case, including jurisdictional arguments, and suggested that this may have influenced the decision to settle. He also said the judge’s order puts pressure on the question of whether attorneys’ fees should be awarded and in what amount.
He added that any potential recovery would likely be limited and could be covered by insurance rather than resulting in large punitive damages.
The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed in December 2024 in which Lively accused Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of orchestrating a coordinated effort to damage her reputation after she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, raised concerns about alleged misconduct during production of It Ends with Us. Baldoni and the company have denied the allegations.
In May, a judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including allegations of sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. The ruling found that Lively worked as an independent contractor rather than an employee, meaning certain federal workplace protections did not apply to her claims.
After that decision, Lively initially indicated she would continue pursuing the case at trial before it was ultimately resolved through settlement.
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