Kamal Ghorui
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni made headlines when they reached a settlement just days before their years-long lawsuit could go to trial on May 18. Now, amid chatter about the legal dispute surrounding ‘It Ends With Us’, new court filings reveal key details of the agreement and the legal battle that still remains unresolved.Blake Lively’s lawyers issue statementAccording to Deadline, a notice of settlement filed in federal court in New York, reveals that Lively has retained her right to continue pursuing attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1, also known as the ‘Protecting Survivors from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act’.“Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Stipulating Parties acknowledge and agree that Blake Lively does not release, and retains all claims, rights, and remedies in connection with her pending Motion for Attorneys’ Fees, Treble Damages and Punitive Damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1 in the Wayfarer Action,” the filing stated as per Deadline and TMZ.The document further noted, “The Stipulating Parties agree that the 47.1 Motion is not withdrawn and remains pending before this Court,” adding that both sides have “irrevocably waive[d] any appeal from the Court’s determination of the 47.1 Motion.”Justin Baldoni waive right to appealThe settlement means there will be no appeals from either side regarding the court’s ruling, effectively bringing a major portion of the high-profile case to a close. However, this could still expose Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios executives and members of the crisis PR team to further financial penalties if the court rules in Lively’s favour.Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCowley, told Deadline, “It pulls back in Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Heath, Mr. Sarowitz, Jennifer Abel, Melisa Nathan, all of the Wayfarer parties we have on this issue, and they will have to face whatever punishment Judge Liman finds is appropriate under this new law.”“They have waived their right to appeal. In other words, this will be the final judgment by this court, and it will not be able to hold things up with years of appeals,” McCowley added.Lawyer claims ‘victory’ for Blake LivelyAttorneys Esra A. Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said, “This settlement is a resounding victory for Blake Lively.”A source close to Lively also claimed that financial compensation was never the actress’ primary objective in the case. “For Blake, this was never about money – it was about exposing bad actors who are also harming others. She didn’t settle her claims until the documents exposing the bad actors behind smear campaigns were made public – documents that have led to other lawsuits and investigations,” the source told TMZ.“With this motion, she is breathing life into a groundbreaking statute designed to protect survivors from retaliatory lawsuits,” the source added.Justin Baldoni’s lawyer claims ‘total victory’Meanwhile, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman maintained that the outcome favoured his clients. “Let’s be clear, this is a win and total victory for the Wayfarer parties,” Freedman told TMZ. “The court had 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 were going to lose in court. All that remains is a pending request for fees based on a very narrow issue that has been with the court since September 2025,” he added.The legal dispute began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation related to their work on ‘It Ends With Us’. Early this year, 10 of her 13 claims were thrown out by the court.
