Inside Blake Lively’s Bombshell Case Against Justin Baldoni, the central dispute was over Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment during It Ends with Us and alleged retaliation afterward; Baldoni denied them, filed a separate defamation suit, and the principal federal litigation settled in May 2026, leaving a fee dispute unresolved as of August 14, 2026.
The dispute began during the production and promotion of the 2024 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel. The original PEOPLE cover story carrying this title appeared on December 30, 2024, when the legal battle was still developing; the later dismissal, settlement, and fee proceedings substantially changed the case’s status. The original PEOPLE story reproduced by Yahoo Entertainment provides that earlier context.
The account below separates allegations from defenses, court rulings from settlement terms, and the merits dispute from the attorney-fee proceeding.
Key takeaways
- The dispute grew out of the 2024 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, which starred Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The federal court’s April 2, 2026 opinion describes the production and its domestic-violence themes.
- Blake Lively alleged sexual harassment during production and retaliation through a later reputation-damaging campaign, while Justin Baldoni denied the allegations. The Associated Press reported the allegations and Baldoni’s denial in December 2024.
- Justin Baldoni filed a separate federal lawsuit in January 2025 against Lively and related defendants, seeking at least $400 million and alleging defamation and related wrongdoing. The filed complaint is the primary source for that action.
- According to reporting on the April 2, 2026 ruling, 10 of Lively’s 13 claims were dismissed, but the motion-stage decision was not a jury verdict that resolved every factual allegation.
- Lively and Baldoni announced a settlement on May 4, 2026, and filed a settlement notice and joint stipulation on May 7, avoiding the planned May 18 trial; the publicly reported settlement terms were not disclosed.
- As of August 14, 2026, the main public post-settlement issue was Lively’s attorney-fee request of approximately $8 million, and the reviewed sources had not established a final award.
What is the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni case about?
The Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni case is a legal dispute over alleged conduct during the production of It Ends with Us and the publicity conflict that followed. Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s separate defamation lawsuit presented opposing accounts of the production, the film’s promotion, and the breakdown between the two stars.
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| Part of the dispute | Lively’s position | Baldoni’s position | What the public record establishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-set conduct | Lively alleged sexual harassment during production. | Baldoni denied the allegations. | The allegation was never tested in a completed jury trial. |
| Post-complaint publicity | Lively alleged a campaign intended to damage her reputation after she raised concerns. | Baldoni denied Lively’s account and presented a competing narrative in his lawsuit. | The alleged on-set conduct and alleged reputation-management activity were related but distinct issues. |
| Baldoni’s separate lawsuit | Lively was among the defendants, alongside Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and related parties. | Baldoni asserted defamation and related claims and sought at least $400 million. | The separate federal litigation was part of the principal dispute that ended in settlement before trial. |
| Final procedural posture | Most of Lively’s claims were dismissed before the settlement. | Baldoni’s claims also did not proceed to a public trial verdict. | The principal litigation settled; a Section 47.1 fee issue continued afterward. |
How did It Ends with Us set up the dispute?
It Ends with Us was adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel about domestic-violence themes, and the film placed Lively and Baldoni in the central roles of Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid. Baldoni had acquired the film rights, while Wayfarer developed and produced the movie with Sony. The federal court’s factual background says principal filming began on May 15, 2023.
Production paused on June 14, 2023, in deference to the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Sony released the film in August 2024 and describes the movie as based on Hoover’s novel on its official film page.
What did Blake Lively allege, and how did Justin Baldoni respond?
Blake Lively alleged that Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her during the making of It Ends with Us and that a later campaign sought to damage her reputation after she raised concerns. The allegations became public through a California Civil Rights Department complaint and related reporting on December 20–21, 2024. The Associated Press account of Lively’s allegations reported Baldoni’s denial.
Those statements must be described as allegations, not as findings of fact. The scheduled trial never occurred, and the settlement did not produce a jury determination of whether the alleged conduct happened.
Baldoni denied Lively’s allegations and later filed a separate federal action against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and related parties. Baldoni’s January 16, 2025 complaint sought at least $400 million and asserted defamation and other related claims. The filed complaint records the claims and amount sought; contemporary reporting describes Baldoni’s competing account.
Timeline of the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni litigation
| Date | Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| August 2, 2016 | Atria Books published Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends with Us. | The novel became the source material for the film at the center of the dispute. The publisher’s official page identifies the publication and edition details. |
| May 15, 2023 | Principal filming began. | The production relationship between Lively and Baldoni formed the factual setting for the later allegations. The federal court’s opinion gives the filming date. |
| June 14, 2023 | Production paused during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. | The pause was part of the film’s production history described in the court record. |
| August 2024 | Sony released the film adaptation starring Lively and Baldoni. | The movie’s release brought the adaptation and its cast into the public spotlight. Sony’s official film page identifies the film and its source novel. |
| December 20–21, 2024 | Lively’s allegations became public through a California Civil Rights Department complaint and related reporting. | The public dispute moved from the production context into legal and reputational claims. Baldoni denied the allegations. |
| December 30, 2024 | PEOPLE published the cover story carrying the original title, describing a developing legal ordeal. | The title referred to an unresolved dispute at that time; the later settlement and fee proceedings materially changed the story. The PEOPLE story reproduced by Yahoo Entertainment establishes the original publication. |
| January 16, 2025 | Baldoni filed his separate federal lawsuit against Lively and related defendants. | The complaint sought at least $400 million and asserted defamation and related claims. The complaint is the primary filing. |
| April 2, 2026 | Judge Lewis J. Liman issued an opinion dismissing most of Lively’s claims and narrowing the case. | Reporting summarized the ruling as dismissing 10 of 13 claims, but the decision was made at the motion stage rather than after a trial. |
| May 4, 2026 | Lively and Baldoni announced a settlement. | The settlement avoided the planned May trial, and the settlement terms were not publicly disclosed in the Reuters account. Reuters’ settlement report describes the announcement. |
| May 7, 2026 | The parties filed a settlement notice and joint stipulation dismissing the principal action. | The filing preserved Lively’s pending motion for fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1. The docket summary records that posture. |
| June 12, 2026 | The court ruled that reasonable attorney fees and costs could be available under Section 47.1, while denying compensatory, treble, and punitive damages through that motion. | The ruling kept the fee issue separate from the merits and left the amount to further submissions. The June 12 fee ruling explains the decision. |
| July–August 14, 2026 | Public reporting described Lively’s fee request as approximately $8 million, while Baldoni opposed the request or sought a substantial reduction. | The reviewed sources had not established a final fee award as of August 14, 2026. Forbes’ July report describes the dispute over the request. |
What did the judge dismiss in the It Ends with Us lawsuit?
The April 2, 2026 ruling dismissed most of Lively’s claims and narrowed the case before the planned trial. According to reporting on the ruling, 10 of Lively’s 13 claims were dismissed. The court’s opinion is the controlling source for the procedural ruling.
The dismissal was not a finding that every allegation was false. A motion-stage ruling determines which claims can continue under the applicable legal standards; it does not substitute for a jury’s resolution of disputed facts. Because the parties settled before trial, no jury issued a verdict on the full factual dispute.
The reviewed materials establish that most claims were dismissed and that the case was narrowed, but they do not provide a sufficiently reliable, claim-by-claim list for naming every claim that remained. The accurate answer to “What claims survived?” is therefore limited: some claims or issues remained procedurally relevant before the settlement, but the main action ended before a trial could determine liability.
Did Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settle?
Yes. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni announced a settlement on May 4, 2026, and the parties filed a settlement notice and joint stipulation dismissing the principal action on May 7, 2026. The settlement avoided the scheduled May 18 trial. The Associated Press reported the settlement, while the docket summary records the subsequent filing.
The settlement ended the principal merits litigation, but it did not eliminate every post-settlement issue. The parties preserved Lively’s motion for attorney fees and costs under Section 47.1, and public reports did not disclose the settlement’s financial or other terms.
What money was requested, and what did the fee ruling allow?
Justin Baldoni’s separate federal lawsuit sought at least $400 million in 2025. The amount was a demand in his complaint, not a court award. Baldoni’s complaint states the requested amount.
Blake Lively’s later request was different: public reporting described an approximately $8 million request for attorney fees and costs connected to defending Baldoni’s dismissed defamation action. The approximately $8 million figure was a request, not an amount awarded by the court. Variety reported Lively’s fee request, and Forbes reported Baldoni’s opposition.
On June 12, 2026, Judge Liman held that reasonable fees and costs could be available under California Civil Code Section 47.1. The court also held that the particular motion could not award compensatory, treble, or punitive damages. The final amount required additional submissions and remained unresolved in the reviewed materials as of August 14, 2026.
“The Court therefore concludes that under Section 47.1, the fees remedy is severable from the damages remedies, and the fact that damages are not available does not preclude a prevailing defendant from obtaining fees in a post-judgment context.”
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Judge Lewis J. Liman, U.S. District Judge, June 12, 2026
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did Blake Lively win the lawsuit, or was Justin Baldoni cleared?
Neither description is accurate. Blake Lively did not receive a publicly reported trial verdict declaring her the winner, and Justin Baldoni was not cleared of every allegation by a jury. The court dismissed most of Lively’s claims at the motion stage, and the parties then settled the principal litigation before trial.
| Statement | Accurate? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “Lively won the entire lawsuit.” | No. | Most of Lively’s claims had been dismissed before the settlement, and the remaining principal litigation ended by settlement rather than verdict. |
| “Baldoni was cleared of all allegations.” | No. | No jury resolved the full factual dispute, and a motion-stage dismissal is not a universal factual finding. |
| “The parties settled.” | Yes. | The parties announced the settlement on May 4, 2026 and filed the dismissal stipulation on May 7, 2026. |
| “The entire legal matter is finished.” | Not based on the reviewed record. | The principal action ended, but Lively’s Section 47.1 fee motion remained active and its final amount was unresolved as of August 14, 2026. |
How should the legal outcome be described?
The most precise summary is that Lively alleged sexual harassment and retaliation, Baldoni denied the allegations and filed separate defamation litigation, the court dismissed most of Lively’s claims before trial, and the principal litigation settled in May 2026. The remaining public procedural issue concerned attorney fees and costs, not a new trial on the underlying allegations.
A settlement is not the same as an admission by either side. The settlement amount and other terms should not be reported as fact unless a reliable primary source later discloses them. Likewise, the approximately $8 million fee request should not be described as a final award.
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Did Blake Lively win the lawsuit against Justin Baldoni?
No. Blake Lively did not receive a publicly reported trial verdict declaring her the winner. Most of her claims were dismissed at the motion stage, and the principal litigation ended in a settlement before trial, with a separate fee issue continuing afterward.
Was Justin Baldoni cleared of Blake Lively’s allegations?
No. Justin Baldoni was not cleared of every allegation by a jury because the scheduled trial never occurred. The April 2, 2026 ruling narrowed Lively’s case by dismissing most claims, but a motion-stage dismissal did not resolve every disputed fact.
How much money was Blake Lively seeking from Justin Baldoni?
Public reporting described Blake Lively’s request as approximately $8 million in attorney fees and costs. The approximately $8 million was a request, not a final award, and the reviewed sources had not established the final amount as of August 14, 2026.
Is the Justin Baldoni lawsuit over?
The principal federal litigation ended through a settlement announced on May 4, 2026, followed by a dismissal stipulation on May 7. The publicly documented legal matter was not completely resolved because Lively’s Section 47.1 attorney-fee motion remained active.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →What claims survived after the judge’s ruling?
The reviewed materials establish that most of Blake Lively’s claims were dismissed and that the case was narrowed, but they do not provide a reliable claim-by-claim list of every surviving claim. The parties settled before trial, so no jury determined liability on the remaining factual disputes.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni dispute ended its principal litigation through a May 2026 settlement after an April ruling dismissed most of Lively’s claims, but the ruling was not a full trial verdict and did not clear either side of every factual allegation. As of August 14, 2026, the main unresolved issue was Lively’s approximately $8 million attorney-fee request.
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