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By Jack Queen<\/p>\n
NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) – Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled a lawsuit brought by Lively over the filming of the \u200c2024 romantic drama “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni’s production company said Monday, averting a \u200ccivil trial scheduled for May where both actors were expected to testify about Lively’s allegations of sexual \u200bmisconduct by Baldoni.<\/p>\n
The settlement ends more than a year of acrimonious litigation that drew intense publicity as details of Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s counterclaims trickled out in court filings.<\/p>\n
A representative for Lively did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Lively, widely known for \u200cstarring in the TV series “Gossip Girl,” \u2060sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in December 2024, seeking damages for alleged harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy and \u2060violations of federal and state civil rights laws.<\/p>\n
She said the defendants created a sexually charged atmosphere during the movie’s production, then mounted a smear campaign to silence her.<\/p>\n
Baldoni, who directed \u200band co-starred \u200bin “It Ends With Us,” countered that he \u200bquickly resolved Lively’s concerns and said \u200che was entitled to hire a crisis management firm after Lively began disparaging him publicly.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims on April 2, but details of the actor’s allegations could have still emerged in the scheduled May 18 civil trial over her retaliation claims.<\/p>\n
The dispute became public in December 2024 when Lively filed \u200ca complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil \u200bRights Department, followed by her lawsuit. A related article \u200bpublished in the New York \u200bTimes was titled: “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”<\/p>\n
Baldoni \u200csued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan \u200bReynolds, for defamation, saying \u200bthey tried to destroy his reputation, but Liman dismissed that case in June. The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation case against the Times.<\/p>\n
“It Ends With Us” starred Lively \u200bas a flower shop \u200cowner who marries a neurosurgeon played by Baldoni.<\/p>\n
Despite mixed reviews, the movie grossed \u200bmore than $351 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Jack Queen; \u200bEditing by Lincol Feast and Franklin Paul)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n