Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are swapping red carpets for a federal courthouse on Wednesday, when they'll face each other in person for the first time since she sued him in December 2024. The closed-door settlement conference in Manhattan is designed to see if the warring It Ends With Us star and director can strike a deal before a May 18 trial in a case that has turned into one of Hollywood's most public workplace battles, per NBC News. Lively, 38, accuses Baldoni, 42, of sexual harassment and retaliation on the film's set, and of orchestrating a campaign to damage her reputation—claims his team denies. She's seeking more than $160 million in damages, per People.
Discovery has already exposed private texts from Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, and other celebrities. Jenny Slate, a co-star in the film, called Baldoni "the biggest clown and the most intense narcissist" overseeing a "really gross and disturbing shoot," per the Hollywood Reporter. Blunt studio communications were also shared. One Sony executive called Lively a "f---ing terrorist" and another predicted she "will never work again," even as the film sailed past $350 million globally. Public sentiment for both Lively and Baldoni has tanked since the lawsuit was filed, according to analytics firm Parrot. Both sides now must decide whether to settle quietly or endure a high-profile trial.
"Trial is a grueling process," says NBC legal analyst Misty Marris. "That's times 10 when you have a high-profile individual sitting in that box. The question is how much is [Lively] willing to put herself through." Despite the Sony exec's prediction, Lively has signed a deal to star in and produce Lionsgate's The Survivor List while also juggling beverage and hair care brands. "If the Magistrate believes that settlement is possible, but the parties cannot get there in a single day," the conference could be extended across multiple days, a legal expert tells People. If a settlement looks impossible, pre-trial motions would then begin.
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