Content Advisory: This article discusses legal allegations involving workplace misconduct and reputational harm. Reader discretion is advised.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s ‘It Ends With Us’ legal fight may be over, but experts say the price of getting there was likely brutal.
Lively, 38, Baldoni, 42, and his company Wayfarer reached a settlement just two weeks before the case was set to go to trial in New York. The terms were not disclosed, but legal experts say the combined bill may have already climbed into the millions.
“Millions,” New York-based attorney Richard Schoenstein said. “The combined legal expense is in the multiple millions. There are around 1,500 docket entries, countless lawyers on both sides, and these are high-priced firms billing well over $1,000 an hour.”
Attorney Megan Thomas put it even more sharply.
“An obscene amount,” she said. “I can’t give a number, but both sides had multiple lawyers.”
Why Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni Settled
Schoenstein said the case may no longer have been worth the financial risk for either side.
“I think they settled because the case wasn’t worth it at this point for either of them,” he said.
He noted that Baldoni’s countersuit had been dismissed, while Lively’s claims had been narrowed. That left both sides facing a costly trial with less upside.
“There wasn’t enough to gain from going to trial given the cost, which would have been extremely high, in the millions,” Schoenstein added.
Thomas said the timing made sense. Many cases settle right before trial, when both teams start looking closely at what a jury may actually hear.
“We often say cases settle on the courthouse steps, which is what happened here,” she explained.
Reputation May Have Mattered More Than Money
The legal bills were only one part of the pressure.
Schoenstein said a public trial could have created more reputational damage, especially if private evidence or other names entered the courtroom.
“There’s also the potential adverse PR impact of a trial, and all the evidence that would come out,” he said.
Thomas agreed that image likely played a major role.
“These are two very wealthy parties, so money may not have been the main issue,” she said. “Reputation likely mattered more.”
She also suggested Lively may still have had leverage because three of her claims were moving forward.
“He was more in the hot seat,” Thomas said.
The Joint Statement Tried To End The Fight
The settlement was confirmed May 4 in a joint statement from attorneys for both sides.
“The end product, the movie ‘It Ends With Us,’ is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” the statement read.
The statement also said Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” and added that all sides remained committed to workplaces free of “improprieties and unproductive environments.”
The dispute began in December 2024, when Lively accused Baldoni, her director and costar, of misconduct on set and claimed his side worked to damage her reputation. Baldoni denied the claims and filed a $400 million countersuit, which was later dismissed.
Now the case is finished. Whether either side truly walks away clean is another question.
