Settlement Talks Begin In “It Ends With Us” Legal Battle
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni began settlement talks ahead of their scheduled trial in May to hash out the sexual harassment case Lively brought against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director.
Lively arrived flanked by her legal team but without husband Ryan Reynolds, while Baldoni was hand in hand with wife, Emily and all smiles for paparazzi. The parties were in separate rooms for the 6-hour hearing while the mediation judge went back and forth. After the first day there was no settlement agreement with Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, predicting the case will go to trial.
Freedman also quipped, “I’m looking forward to it.” The battle has gotten extremely messy over the last 18 months with Lively’s private text messages and emails to many A-listers released to the public and unredacted, including Taylor Swift, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. A settlement would avoid those stars possibly taking the stand in a public trial.