Lawyers for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been contacted about a last-minute settlement attempt before their trial, which is set for May 18.
Attorneys were reportedly told to contact US Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave on Monday, following a decision that saw most of Lively’s 13 claims against the “It Ends With Us” director dismissed on Thursday, according to the Daily Mail.
Per the outlet, the attorneys — who will speak to the judge via phone in separate sessions — will address “their client’s updated settlement position” ahead of the scheduled trial. The public won’t have access to the phone calls, which will take place on Monday at 3:00 p.m. ET for Lively’s laywers, and 4:00 pm ET for Baldoni and Wayfarer Productions’ attorneys.
Reps for Lively and Baldoni did not immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment on Friday.
The development comes one day after Judge Lewis Liman dismissed all but three of the “Gossip Girl” alum’s claims against Bladoni, leaving only breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation to continue in the long-running legal saga.
Following the decision, attorneys for Lively and Baldoni spoke out, with Baloni’s lead attorney, Bryan Freedman, telling Page Six on Friday that the team had “worked extremely long days and nights defending this case,” which he said was done “through transparency by releasing the actual truthful text messages, and by welcoming and facilitating the release of all documents exhibiting the truth.”
Freedman stated that the defendants “were not afraid of the truth” and said that none of the defendants, including Baldoni, “have engaged in the sexual harassment of Blake Lively.”
“Despite our clients being accused of DARVO in defending these claims and despite our client being referred to in writing as a predator, what I said, on behalf of our client’s day one and every day since then is true,” Freedman continued in part.
He also noted that it’s “gratifying to see that the court’s ruling confirms what the legal team believed from day one.”
In another statement to Page Six on Thursday, Baldoni’s attorneys said they’re “grateful to the Court for its careful review of the facts, law and voluminous evidence that was provided” and stated they “look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”
An attorney for Lively’s team also spoke out on Thursday, telling Page Six that for the “Simple Favor” actress, the case “has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial.”
Sigrid McCawley added that for the actress, “the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they’ve targeted.”
“She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight,” the statement concluded, while noting that the “sexual harassment [claim] isn’t going forward not because the defendants did nothing wrong but because the court determined Blake Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee.”
Following rumored tension during “It Ends With Us” promotional events, Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni of on-set sexual harassment and retaliation in December 2024, and subsequently sued the drama film’s director later that month.
Lively claimed the Wayfarer Studios co-founder owed her damages of at least $161 million over what she described as a smear campaign.
Baldoni — who has vehemently denied Lively’s claims — responded with a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. However, Baldoni’s lawsuit was tossed by a judge on June 25.
Lively and Baldoni previously faced off in a Manhattan court on February 11 — but Freedman labeled it “unsuccessful” in comments to Deadline at the time.
A laundry list of A-listers — including Reynolds’ ex-wife Scarlett Johansson, Lively’s former BFF Taylor Swift and Johnny Depp, among others, were dragged into the drama in unsealed documents earlier this year.
A brand specialist revealed to Page Six on Friday that Lively’s dramatic court loss likely means “a challenging path” ahead for her career.
“There is a real risk she could start to feel pushed out of the industry and struggle to secure major roles or brand deals going forward,” Kaley Cornelius told us in part.
“With the impact of cancel culture and increased scrutiny, there is less appetite to take risks on talent who may be seen as controversial or commercially uncertain,” she added, noting that it’s “entirely possible that Blake could face tougher competition for upcoming roles, with studios potentially favoring newer talent.”
Read the full article here
