Justin Baldoni's lawyer has opened up about the actor's reaction to the settlement of his legal dispute with Blake Lively.
'Ecstatic' Justin Baldoni Reacts to 'Logical Ending' of Blake Lively Lawsuit
The lengthy legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in a dispute regarding the 2024 film It Ends With Us in 2024 has finally come to an end.
According to latest reports, both sides have agreed to a confidential settlement just weeks before the trial, which was scheduled on May 18.
As revealed by Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, the actor is "ecstatic" after settling the controversial lawsuit.
Freedman, in his interview with ExtraTV, said, “He is ecstatic… at the results of this and the settlement itself."
The messy legal dispute started in December 2024 after tensions sparked during the movie's production.
The same year, Lively filed a lawsuit alleging Baldoni of s*xual harassment, retaliation and orchestrating a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation.
Baldoni rejected the accusations and filed countersuits, including defamation charges against the actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and various media sources, alleging that they wanted to "damage" his career, according to Page Six.
In the hearing last month, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 out of 13 of the actress' allegations.
However, the remaining three allegations -- breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation weren't addressed. Those were set to be discussed during the May 18 hearing.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reportedly spent a combined $60 million to sue and countersue one another.
'Justin Wants to Help People'
Talking about the settlement, Freedman said, "This is not his settlement. I think there was an urgency to try and get it done as quickly as possible. He looks at the settlement as a logical ending to a case he’s already out of."
"Justin wants to help people who have experienced similar experiences when they felt they were accused of something they did not do. And to be a leader in helping other people in that way. I know that [Baldoni] will help people who have experienced similar trauma,” Freedman stressed.
During last month's hearing, Liman had rejected Baldoni’s $250 million libel case against The New York Times for their article on Lively’s allegations, along with his $400 million defamation claim against the actress, Reynolds, and Leslie Sloane, who published the article.
How Did the Settlement Take Place?
It was quite evident during the entire legal dispute that neither side was ready to back down.
In April, the It Ends With Us co-stars had a meeting with a judge to settle their highly publicized legal fight, but both had declined the offer, as reported by the Daily Mail.
An X post states that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal dispute has come to an end.
Talking about how the settlement actually came together, Baldoni's lawyer said, "You know, I wouldn’t say which side kind of came to the table first. I think there was an urgency to try and get it done as quickly as possible. I think that Justin and the other individuals felt pretty comfortable where they were at the time. Ten of the 13 claims were gone as a result of the summary judgment motion. Five individuals were out of the case. You were left with a case that was really Blake Lively versus ‘It Ends with Us,’ the movie LLC, the agency group and Wayfarer Studios, so it was a very different case at the point in time that we had those settlement discussions than ever was before."
Lively recently turned heads after she made an appearance at Met Gala 2026.
Her attendance at the fashion event had raised eyebrows amid the ongoing lawsuit with Baldoni.