Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni will continue their fierce legal battle, with the two men failing to reach a settlement during their recent court appearance.
The ongoing saga between the two “It Ends With Us” stars will officially go to trial in May, as both sides stand firm in their memories of what happened during production of the 2024 film.
Article continues below advertisement
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni fail to reach settlement in ongoing legal battle
According to Deadline, the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit at the center of the bitter legal saga between former co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will go to trial after settlement negotiations failed.
Per Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said attempts to reach a settlement during the Feb. 11 court appearance were “unsuccessful.” Although settlement is no longer an option, Freedman said he and Baldoni are “looking forward” to the May 18 trial.
Freedman also shared that while a settlement before the trial begins is always a possibility, he doesn’t “know we’ll do it.”
Article continues below advertisement
Lively and Baldoni arrived at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday following a scandalous batch of text messages and emails from Lively that were revealed in a deposition.
Article continues below advertisement
The recent court appearance was the first heated one, and Baldoni has come face to face since the lawsuit was filed
The Feb. 11 court appearance was the first time the embattled former co-stars were in court since Lively filed a $550 million lawsuit, in which she claims she was subjected to repeated harassment by Baldoni during the production of “It Ends With Us,” and that he launched a smear campaign against her.
Article continues below advertisement
Hollywood Stars Reportedly Bored To Be In The Middle Of Legal Drama
Some of Hollywood’s biggest names were featured in the 181 pages of unsealed documents that were part of Lively and Baldoni’s deposition.
Taylor Swift, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Matt Damon were all featured in the documents, the most shocking featuring Swift and Lively discussing Baldoni in very harsh terms.
According to Us Weekly, a person close to Affleck and Damon told the outlet that Hollywood’s famous best friends were mulling over the complicated legal battle and that “the feeling was frustration.”
The source continued, adding, “It feels like ‘Why am I being dragged into this?’ This has created unnecessary stress and irritation, and people feel like it has become a black hole. »
Article continues below advertisement
“Even those who have nothing to do with it fear being mentioned or drawn into public speculation,” the source said.
“People in Hollywood have distanced themselves from Blake and Ryan,” another source said. “Even their close friends keep their heads down and remain neutral.”
Taylor Swift’s Popularity Takes a Big Hit After Her Involvement in Lively and Baldoni Drama
In a recent YouGov poll, according to NewsNation, the singer’s approval rating stood at 46.7% as of January 5, down 9% from 55.4% a year ago.
Additionally, the percentage of those who have an unfavorable opinion of Swift increased from 23.5% to 29.2% during the same period. This is the highest level of disapproval of Swift since October 2020.
“They’re not invited. Period,” an insider said of Lively and Reynolds, according to #ShutterScoop. “Taylor wants a drama-free day and she doesn’t trust Blake or Ryan anymore.”
“There’s no ‘will she or won’t she,'” another source said, adding, “She won’t.”
Article continues below advertisement
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer defended his client after Blake Lively’s texts were revealed
“As stated from the beginning and reflected in our clients’ requests, as well as in messages from Sony discussing Ms. Lively’s behaviors, the evidence does not support [Lively’s] claims at law,” Freedman said Jan. 21.
“A simple reading of the recently published message exchanges makes the truth very clear. We remain confident in the legal process and in clarifying the names of all of Justin Baldoni’s parties,” he said.
