Blake Lively is dragging Justin Baldoni back to court weeks after they settled their explosive legal battle.
Judge Lewis Liman ordered the “It Ends With Us” co-stars back to a Manhattan court on Monday to address damages related to Baldoni’s dismissed $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
The legal filing show Lively, 38, is requesting that Baldoni, 42, cover her legal fees and costs from the defamation case.
The “Gossip Girl” actress is also seeking triple damages and punitive damages.
It’s unclear how much total money Lively wants from Baldoni.
Page Six has reached out to Lively and Baldoni’s reps for comment.
Lively and Baldoni were set to go to court on May 18 before they reached a settlement agreement on May 4 after a judge tossed out 10 out of 13 of the actress’s allegations from her 2023 lawsuit, including conspiracy, sexual harassment and defamation.
The “Simple Favor” actress filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, who also directed “It Ends With Us,” in December 2024.
Baldoni denied Lively’s claims and, the next month, filed his $400 million countersuit against the actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation, extortion and more.
However, Baldoni’s suit was dismissed in June 2025.
At the time, Judge Liman wrote that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged.”
Last month, Lively and Baldoni both claimed victory when the former’s lawsuit against the latter was settled.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, called the settlement a “huge victory” while speaking with “TMZ Live.” He also claimed Lively settled because she was “scared” to testify at trial.
“It was an incredible opportunity,” he told the outlet, “and I don’t think you pass up an incredible opportunity.”
Lively’s team then called the settlement a “resounding victory” for the mother of four following Freedman’s remarks.
“By admitting that Ms. Lively’s concerns ‘deserved to be heard,’ the defendants have ended once and for all the fiction that Ms. Lively ‘fabricated’ claims of sexual harassment and retaliation,” they told Page Six last Thursday.
Page Six learned that even though Lively and Baldoni spent a combined $60 million during their 18-month legal war, neither saw a penny in the agreed-upon settlement.
Read the full article here
