Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reach a settlement two weeks before trial

Newsweek · May 04, 2026 · 445 words · By Athena Sobhan

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What to know about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reach a settlement two weeks before trial

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached a settlement in their ongoing legal battles.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached a settlement in their ongoing legal battles.

Why it matters

According to NBC News, the "It Ends With Us" costars' settlement was announced in a joint statement by their attorneys, confirming that it ends the multi-year legal battle between the pair.

Common ground

"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," Baldoni and Lively's attorneys said in their statement, per NBC.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reach a settlement two weeks before trial?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached a settlement in their ongoing legal battles?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/blake-lively-and-justin-baldoni-reach-a-s…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

verified Verified 1

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached a settlement in their ongoing legal battles.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Flipboard, Krdo, and NBC News (via web search), confirm that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached a settlement to end their legal battle.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — It Ends with Us is a 2024 American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni and written by Christy Hall, based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover. The film stars Blake Lively alongside Baldoni,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_(film)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The production of the 2024 American film It Ends with Us, starring American actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has been the subject of controversy due to highly publicized disputes and litigation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_controversy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Blake Ellender Brown (born August 25, 1987), known professionally as Blake Lively, is an American actress and entrepreneur. A daughter of actor Ernie Lively, she made her professional debut in his di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Lively

+ 2 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “According to NBC News, the "It Ends With Us" costars' settlement was announced in a joint statement by their attorneys”

VERIFIED

Web search results specifically mention NBC News reporting that the settlement was announced by their lawyers on a Monday.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bryan Freedman is an American entertainment lawyer and litigator. He is co-founder of the Los Angeles–based law firm Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley LLP. Freedman is known for his aggressive litigat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Freedman

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “a federal judge tossed out Lively's claims against Baldoni on harassment, defamation, and conspiracy”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm a federal judge dismissed 10 of Lively's 13 claims, specifically including harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Justin Louis Baldoni (born January 24, 1984) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Rafael Solano on the CW telenovela Jane the Virgin (2014–2019) and for starring in and dire…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Baldoni

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “He also filed a second libel lawsuit against The New York Times over their reporting of Lively's treatment on the "It Ends With Us" set.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results and a Wikipedia snippet confirm Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit against The New York Times regarding its reporting on the set of 'It Ends With Us'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Lively sues It Ends With Us. A close-up of Blake Lively.Formal lawsuit by Blake Lively. Shortly after Baldoni filed his complaint, Blake Lively formally sued him and his production company Wayfa…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-01/justin-baldoni-sues-w…

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web search NEUTRAL — Baldoni's lawsuit against the Lively parties and The New York Times was dismissed in June 2025.[44] In April 2026, the majority of Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni and his associates was dismissed. Li…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_controversy

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web search NEUTRAL — Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times over its story on Blake Lively's sexual-harassmentThe Times stood by its reporting and said it would defend against the lawsuit.Lively also filed a lawsuit accus…
https://www.businessinsider.com/justin-baldoni-libel-lawsuit…

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Claim 5: “The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that initial jury selection was scheduled to begin on May 18, before the settlement announcement.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly mention that jury selection was scheduled to start on May 18.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for her work in blockbusters and independent films across many genres, she has consistently ranked amon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Kidman

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of American films released in 2024. The year featured a diverse array of cinematic productions, ranging from major studio blockbusters to independent and streaming platform rel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2024

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times has been involved in many controversies since its founding in 1851. It is one of the largest newspapers in the United States and the world, and is considered to have worldwide influ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_New_York_Times_con…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The judge allowed other claims, including breach of contract and retaliation, to proceed to trial.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results state that while the judge tossed out most claims, he 'allowed the remaining claims to proceed to trial,' which included breach of contract and retaliation.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “A federal judge closed both of Baldoni's cases back in November 2025, ruling that his lawsuits did not meet the legal standard to move forward in court.”

DISPUTED

There is a conflict in dates. The claim states the cases were closed in November 2025. However, one web search result states Baldoni's lawsuit against the NYT was dismissed in June 2025, and another mentions a response on Dec 31, 2024. The specific 'November 2025' date is not consistently corroborated across the provided evidence.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tough defeat for Justin Baldoni in his legal battle against Blake Lively: $400 million lawsuit dismissed. Federal Judge Lewis J. Liman also dismissed a lawsuit by Baldoni against The New York Times.
https://www.metroworldnews.com/en/2025/06/10/tough-defeat-fo…

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web search NEUTRAL — Justin Louis Baldoni is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Rafael Solano on the CW telenovela Jane the Virgin and for starring in and directing the romantic drama film It End…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Baldoni

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web search NEUTRAL — Justin Baldoni suit against Blake Lively dismissed.Baldoni responded on Dec. 31, 2024, with the now-dismissed lawsuit against The New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy after it …
https://abc7news.com/post/lively-baldoni-justin-baldonis-law…

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Claim 8: “In January 2025, Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband, as well as "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, seeking $400 million in damages for defamation and extortion.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion.

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 26, 2023 · January Debt Collector? Anyone else ever get texts like these? From what I can tell January is a legitimate company, but I do not have a Fortiva credit card.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/1620epe/january_debt…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 8, 2024 · January 2024 Approval Megathread eForm 4 Instructions Form 4 Desired Post Format: link to entry form Wait: 000 Days Pending: yyyy-mm-dd Approved: yyyy-mm-dd | 24hr timestamp (convert tim…
https://www.reddit.com/r/NFA/comments/192041s/january_2024_a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 1, 2024 · I had a credit card through First Premier that has been in collections for a while, and received a settlement offer from a collections agency called January for 50% off the original amou…
https://www.reddit.com/r/CRedit/comments/1b3h3gu/experience_…

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Claim 9: “Lively initially filed the lawsuit against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer, over sexual harassment back in December 2024.”

CORROBORATED

BBC News and other web sources confirm Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in December 2024 alleging sexual harassment.

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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Ellender Brown (born August 25, 1987), known professionally as Blake Lively, [a] is an American actress and entrepreneur. A daughter of actor Ernie Lively, she made her professional debut in his…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Lively

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 hours ago · Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have agreed to end their legal battle over the acrimonious production of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us.”
https://apnews.com/article/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-lawsu…

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 hours ago · The legal battle between “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will no longer go to trial after they reached a settlement deal that their lawyers announced Monday ..…
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/blake-l…

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.