The settlement that ended Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s blockbuster legal war began with an unexpected Friday night phone call.
Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told Fox News Digital that he received an “out of the blue” call from opposing counsel requesting mediation, setting in motion the settlement that ultimately ended Baldoni and Lively’s explosive feud. Freedman said the agreement allowed his clients to publicly discuss court rulings that dismissed many of the claims against them after months of intense scrutiny.
“I think when you settle a case and your client was sued for 15 claims, of which two are dismissed by the other side voluntarily, 10 of the remaining 13 are dismissed by the court — and those involve sexual harassment and defamation — I think it’s really important that the clients be able to speak about that,” Freedman said.
“Because otherwise, you know, they’re forever branded as being accused and responsible for that,” he emphasized. “And it was important that they be able to speak about the fact that in summary judgment that the court dismissed those claims against them and that they paid nothing for the remaining claims to be resolved.”
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Baldoni and Lively first became embroiled in a legal back-and-forth after filming the Colleen Hoover-adapted film, “It Ends With Us.” The “Gossip Girl” actress claimed she experienced sexual harassment on set and sued Baldoni in December 2024.
Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights Department and later in federal court.
Baldoni insisted that Lively had “falsely” accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following the fallout of the movie’s press tour after the actress took control of the film in his own $400 million defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit was later dismissed.
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Freedman argued that the allegations against Baldoni and his associates shaped public perception long before the legal battle reached its conclusion. He said his clients spent months trying to overcome the narrative that was presented in Lively’s lawsuit.
“The entire world, at least the entire world who paid attention, looked at that and thought that Justin and Jamie and the others involved were horrible people, and it was really incredible to try to move past that narrative and to be able to say, ‘Hey, these guys are really good people. They’re really meaningful people that they’re honorable, they’re honest, they are kind. And not only was there no sexual harassment that they engaged in, but there was no smear campaign that was engaged in.’ And it was really super important that we be able to talk about that, the clients be able talk about that.“
Freedman explained the circumstances surrounding the public narrative drove an unusual legal strategy. Rather than keep documents private, he and his team released records publicly and encouraged people to review the material themselves.
“I’ve never personally been involved in a case where — or even ever seen one in over 30 years of practice — where somebody puts out everything in the case and says, ‘Here it is, decide for yourself.‘”
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Baldoni’s legal team filed a 224-page response to Lively’s lawsuit that included text messages, emails and more “receipts” as they pushed to share what they claimed was the other side of the story.
Freedman explained why “in the beginning it was so important” to turn over all the documents, saying that “What you were seeing were allegations that said, for instance, ‘He came into my trailer and, you know, while I was breastfeeding,’ right? Then you’d see the text message that said, you know, inviting Justin into the trailer while she was pumping. And then you see the emojis that were — the emojis that meant that it was sarcastic comments that were removed,” he recalled.
Lively and Baldoni chose to settle their nearly two-year-long legal battle weeks before trial.
“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. Raising awareness and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind,” a joint statement read.
“We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
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Lively and the producers of “It Ends With Us” reached a sweeping settlement that ended nearly all of their legal battles, with both sides agreeing to drop their claims and forgo future appeals. The agreement left one major issue unresolved: whether Lively could recover her legal fees and obtain additional financial compensation.
A judge later ruled that Lively could recover attorney and litigation fees, but rejected her bid to triple her award and seek punitive damages.
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The legal back-and-forth took an emotional toll on Baldoni, his colleagues and his family, according to Freedman.
Freedman said it “felt like a morgue” inside the Wayfarer offices immediately after the allegations against Baldoni became public. “It was really debilitating, and it was sad and people’s families were there.“
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He added, “What I’ll tell you is that I saw spiritual people who believed in the truth that were devastated and mostly devastated because of the impact on the domestic violence survivors. And I saw people that cared and that were meaningful and were honest and open.“
WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED ‘IT ENDS WITH US’ FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY
While reflecting on the fallout, Freedman argued that the dispute highlighted a broader challenge within Hollywood.
Freedman said Baldoni faced an uphill battle against some of the industry’s most influential figures.
“I think that the case exposed that it’s really difficult to go against powerful people who have financial ties and relationships with studios, networks, media and talent agencies, management companies,” Freedman explained. “When you are going against, you know, what are truly movie stars, right? Who are truly top tier people, and you have someone that’s your client that really virtually no one has heard of. I mean, not that Justin hasn’t done stuff before, but nothing like the other side.”
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Although Freedman served as one of Baldoni’s most vocal defenders throughout the legal fight, he said the actor should ultimately tell his own story.
The high-profile entertainment attorney suggested Baldoni’s perspective on the ordeal would carry more weight than anything his lawyer could say.
“I want him to speak and, I really want him to talk about what it’s been like for him. And I think that would be much more meaningful than listening to me one more time.“
