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The aftermath of Blake Lively‘s 11th-hour deal to avert a headline-splashing trial years in the making over alleged sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us saw both sides jockeying for a legal and public relations edge.
Baldoni’s lawyers played up the absence of any monetary payout to Lively, who initiated the legal saga in 2024 when she accused the director and his production company Wayfarer of marshaling a plan to undermine her reputation in retaliation for speaking up about misconduct on the set of the movie.
On the other side, Lively’s lawyers celebrated an acknowledgement from Baldoni in the joint statement that the actress’ claims “deserved to be heard.” They also made a bold wager: Lively would soon see damages and the recovery of her legal costs by way of a California law intended to shield sexual harassment victims from retaliatory defamation claims. If not, the settlement would not involve any financial concession after years of legal wrangling and not-so-great headlines. Michael Gottlieb, Lively’s lead lawyer, called the preservation of the claim a “core issue” in an industry podcast after the deal was reached.
That gambit ended with a whimper on Friday when the court ordered Baldoni to pay Lively’s legal fees but rejected her bid for damages. The decision ends her last chance at a payout in the case.
