Sony’s It Ends With Us adapted Colleen Hoover’s powerful story about domestic violence and a resilient woman, but drama between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni behind the scenes and afterwards has lingered beyond the film’s release in theaters. Arriving to the big screen last August and later heading to streaming on Netflix in December 2024, the Justin-Baldoni-directed film drew many moviegoers, though some didn’t realize what the story was fully about.

Tensions mainly lie between the film’s costars — Lively, who portrays main character Lily Bloom, and Baldoni, who also stars as Ryle, the abusive husband of Lily, in addition to directing the film with a script from Christy Hall. During press for the film, it became clear that Baldoni and Lively were maintaining distance from each other, and even on the red carpet at the New York premiere, they didn’t take photos together.

Late in 2024, revelations came about through a nixed SNL hosting campaign for Lively, a disappointing Blake Brown Beauty product launch for the actress, lawsuits and more. For a complete timeline of moments, large and small, that make up the feud that bloomed between the stars, their publicists, lawyers and more, follow along below — and we will be updating:

Dec. 20, 2024 – Blake Lively Accuses Justin Baldoni of Sexual Harrassment & “Astroturfing”

Months after the film’s awkward premiere and weeks after the film went to Netflix for streaming, a new round of explosive evidence came out that something definitely went down between the two stars. Lively accused Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios as well as others behind the film of sexually harassing her and also strategizing to “destroy her reputation.”

Lively filed a 10-claim complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, detailing a “hostile work enviornment’ as well as the alleged “Astroturfing” campaign.

“Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation for Ms. Lively exercising her legally-protected right to speak up about their misconduct on the set, with the additional objective of intimidating her and anyone else from revealing in public what actually occurred,” the 80-page complaint, packed with seemingly damning text messages between Baldoni and crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan and her company, The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG) declared.

RELATED: Blake Lively Nixed ‘SNL’ Season 50 Premiere Hosting Gig Due To ‘It Ends With Us’ Smear Campaign

The complaint also described Lively and her employees being subject to “nude videos or images of women, including producer’s wife,” mentions of Baldoni’s or fellow producer Jamey Heath’s “previous ‘pornography addiction,’” discussions “about personal experiences with sex,” a “description of their own genitalia” and “personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments.” The filing, which was a prelude to a lawsuit, also contains inquiries by Baldoni to Lively’s trainer “without her knowledge or consent to disclose her weight.” It also alleges Baldoni and/or others added “sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing by [Lively] outside the scope of the script.”

Dec. 21 Consequences for Baldoni

WME swiftly dropped Baldoni following the bombshell accusations. Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called the allegations “completely false.” This was Dec. 21, the same day the New York Times posted its in-depth “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Campaign” expose.

Two days later, Liz Plank — co-host of Baldoni’s podcast “Man Enough” — quit the project to distance herself from the Jane the Virgin vet. Plank posted on Instagram about her departure, but she did not name Baldoni or mention the allegations against him.

Dec. 21-23: Support for Lively

Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Schumer, Paul Feig, Kaitlin Olson and Amber Heard voiced support for Lively, denouncing the campaign against her.

After the film arrived in theaters in early August 2024, Lively’s costar Brandon Sklenar, who plays Lily Bloom’s other love interest in the film Atlas Corrigan, initially backed Lively when rumors started to swirl about what could be going on behind the scenes.

“I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online,” Sklenar wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about.”

RELATED: Blake Lively Thanks ‘It Ends With Us’ Author Colleen Hoover For Changing Her Life “For Good”

Many members of the celebrity community have also since release statements supporting Blake Lively, from Hoover’s additional words of praise and wisdom to Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars and more.

Sklenar and Jenny Slate also expressed concern for Lively following the reignition of the drama, with Sklenar urging people to read her complaint and Slate calling the situation “dark, disturbing and wholly threatening.”

Sony, the studio that distributed the film, condemned “any reputational attacks” on Lively, supporting the actress, whose cut of the film was shown over Baldoni’s.

RELATED: ‘It Ends With Us’: How Blake Lively Was “A Creative Tour De Force” In Transforming Colleen Hoover Novel Into A Motion Picture Event

Dec. 24 – The Lawsuits

Justin Baldoni and his publicists received a defamation suit on Christmas Eve 2024 from the Wayfarer Studios co-founder and former PR company Jonesworks, and its owner Stephanie Jones. The filing also names Wayfarer Studios and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel for not only defamation but also breach of contract.

Nathan was hired by Baldoni following the film’s arrival in theaters. She and crisis PR guru Matthew Hiltzik worked with Johnny Depp during the Pirates star’s successful $50 million defamation action against ex-wife Amber Heard and the 2022 trial.

“Defendants Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, to breach multiple contracts and induce contractual breaches, and to steal clients and business prospects,” declares an eight-claim complaint filed by the Quinn Emanuel represented PR boss this Christmas Eve.

RELATED: Fallout Continues For Justin Baldoni As Bart Johnson, Former Collaborators & More Support Blake Lively Amid ‘It Ends With Us’ Complaint

Lively then officially sued Baldoni and his PR team on the last day of 2024 for unspecified damages.

“As laid out in this Complaint, the Baldoni-Wayfarer-led public attack of Ms. Lively was the intended result of a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out about the hostile environment that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath created,” the 13-claim complaint states of the Jane the Virgin vet and his Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath.

Dec. 31 – Baldoni Sues NYT for $250 Million

Baldoni and his publicists sued The New York Times for their story about Lively’s claims of sexual harassment.

The 87-page libel complaint was filed in LA Superior Court just hours before the end of 2024, accusing NYT journalists of being in league with Lively with a lengthy December 21 article that “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead.”

The four-claim filing from Baldoni, Melissa Nathan, Jennifer Abel and others asserts “the Times’ complicity arises from its apparent endorsement of the criminal alteration of these text messages by Lively.”

RELATED: Justin Baldoni’s Voices Of Solidarity Award Rescinded In Wake Of Blake Lively’s Sexual Harassment & Smear Campaign Allegations

Lawyer Bryan Freedman’s suit goes after Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane for her past associations with Harvey Weinstein, and it mentions Ryan Reynolds’ stern statement to Baldoni and Wayfarer studios in an all-hands Jan. 4 meeting as well as more moments.

Lively’s team quickly responded to the suit, denouncing the tactics behind it. On Feb. 3, Freedman told a NYC federal court the NYT suit would be dropped and the Gray Lady added as a defendant to Baldoni’s larger lawsuit.

Jan. 7 – Lively’s Lawyers Accuse Baldoni’s Team of “Blame The Victim” Tactics

Lively’s legal team doubled down on their suit by outlining “more attacks” of the actress by Baldoni through the media.

“This is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences; or a ‘he said/she said’ situation,” Lively’s Manatt, Phelps & Phillips attorneys and Willkie Farr & Gallagher lawyers said. “As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set. And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing.”

These statements were made hours after Baldoni’s main attorney Bryan Freedman appeared on NewsNation taking swings at the New York Times.

Jan. 7 – Freedman Says ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Character Nicepool Was Based on Baldoni

Bryan Freedman accused Ryan Reynolds of making fun of Baldoni with the Deadpool & Wolverine character Nicepool, which fans have speculated references Baldoni’s apparent pseudo-nice guy persona. This was also said on The Megyn Kelly Show.

“What I make of that, is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni,” said Freedman. “There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean, anybody that watched that hair bun — if somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it. It’s a serious issue.”

Jan. 8 – Baldoni’s Voice Message About Basement Viewing of IEWU Premiere Released

Bryan Freeman, Baldoni’s attorney, also played a voice message on The Megyn Kelly Show from Baldoni complaining about being sent to the basement during the It Ends With Us premiere in New York City.

Freedman said in the interview that he planned to put “every single text message, every single document” in the public domain. Freedman has repped Kelly in the past. Deadline has been unable to independently verify or date the voice message.

Jan. 14 – Baldoni Letter to Disney About Deadpool & Wolverine Surfaces

Baldoni sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel boss Kevin Feige Jan. 7 asking them to “preserve evidence” foreseeing potential “commencement of litigation” against star in the red suit Ryan Reynolds as well as Lively.

The five-page correspondence from Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman wants no rock, smartphone, contract, “Blackberry devices,” paperwork, or floppy disk left unturned. The paperwork also asks for “all documents and communications relating to complaints of sexual or other harassment asserted against Ryan Reynolds by any person.”

RELATED: Blake Lively Vs. Justin Baldoni Battle Heats Up Again As PR Chief Subpoenas Tech Companies, More Lawsuits Loom

Jan. 16 – Baldoni Directly Sues Lively and Reynolds for $400 Million

Baldoni’s complaint filed Jan. 16 demands $400,000,000 from Reynolds and Lively citing defamation, extortion and more.

“This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,” the 179-page filing from Freedman and NYC’s Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC says of Reynolds and Lively. “Then, when Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat. Tolerating a year and a half of their behavior while remaining polite and professional at every turn offered Badoni and Wayfarer no protection.”

Just hours after the big suit was filed, Lively and her legal team responded, describing the action as “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”

“This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim,” said Lively’s Manatt, Phelps & Phillips attorneys and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. “This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.” 

RELATED: Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Decries “Revoltingly False Sexual Allegations” From Blake Lively As Lawsuits Fly; Brands At Business Heart Of Dispute

Jan. 21 – Baldoni Releases BTS Footage from IEWU Film

Baldoni dropped behind-the-scenes footage from May 23, 2023 production on the movie to refute Lively’s sexual harassment claims.

The clip covers the slow dance scene between Lively’s character and Baldoni’s, which the Gossip Girl actress cited as one of several uncomfortable moments she experienced during production on the film.

“Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism,” reads a title card added by Baldoni’s side.

Lively and her team called the move a “stunt” and emphasized that it backs up her complaints.

Jan. 24 – Lively And Reynolds Double Down on Gag Order Request

“Requiring counsel to heed the ethical rules that bind them is not a gag order; it is a mechanism that would ensure the proceedings in this Court are not prejudiced by counsel’s conduct outside of the courtroom,” attorney Esra Hudson argued for the couple in a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman regarding Baldoni, his main lawyer Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and others.

The gag order would be for “extrajudicial statements.”

Jan. 27 – Another Voice Message Surfaces, A Trial Looms

“I’m really sorry, I f*cked up,” Justin Baldoni told Lively in a 2 a.m. voice message in April 2023 following his response to a rewritten scene on the film. The scene itself, dialogue between Lively’s Lily Bloom and Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid, was in fact, rewritten by Reynolds, which Lively revealed during press to promote the film.

“I will admit and apologize when I fail,” the Jane the Virgin alum added in the six-minute message, talking about the rooftop sequence. “I’m a very flawed man, as my wife will attest.”

A federal judge had, at that time, selected March 9, 2026 as the trial start date for the bitter showdown between the pair of actors.

RELATED: Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds Aim To Have Justin Baldoni’s $400M Defamation Suit Tossed Out

Jan. 30 – A Preliminary Hearing Is Set For Early February

A consolidation of some of the suits is looking possible as a February 12 pretrial conference was moved up by Judge Liman to February 3. This hearing had Lively and Reynolds teams working to get Baldoni’s $400 million suit dismissed, which has since occurred.

Lively, Reynolds and their legal teams also called for disciplinary action for Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman for his “extrajudicial statements” made in the media against the Gossip Girl actress. Judge Liman consolidated Baldoni’s $400 million action and Lively’s New Year’s Eve lawsuit against the Jane the Virgin actor. Not long after, Baldoni’s supporting lawyer Kevin Fritz wrote to the court about the objection to a deposition, or Freedman taking to Lively under oath.

“Counsel for Ms. Lively has made clear that Ms. Lively does not want Mr. Freedman to be the attorney who takes her deposition,” Fritz said. “We are unaware of any situation that would warrant the deposed party to have a choice in which attorney takes her deposition. Parties to litigation simply do not have the right to dictate which of their opponents’ attorneys may or may not take their deposition or perform any other aspect of the opposing party’s case.”

Feb. 1 – Team Baldoni Establishes Website

After threatening to launch an online archive of all the evidence on Baldoni’s side, the Five Feet Apart director’s legal team went through with the action. The site contains the first amended complaint filed by Baldoni’s team Friday Jan. 31 in the January 16 $400 million defamation and extortion suit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds. There is also a timeline of text messages, emails and more communication around the events in the It Ends With Us production and press saga.

The documentation begins Jan. 1, 2019 with an email to Colleen Hoover, who executive produced the film, about her book on which the movie is based. It ends Jan. 29, 2024 examining the NYT expose article.

Feb. 3 – Trial Start Date of March 2026 Threatened To Move Up

At the preliminary court hearing on Feb. 3, a federal judge threatened to move the March 2026 start date of the trial between the IEWU costars up if the matter continued to be “litigated in the press”.

RELATED: Blake Lively Vs. Justin Baldoni: Judge Threatens Moving Up March 2026 Trial If Lawyers Can’t Stop Matter Being “Litigated In The Press”

Judge Liman imposed the Empire State rule on both parties, meaning that neither side in the complex battle is to say anything in the press that could influence a potential jury. Such has already been occurring with comments from both sides.

Feb. 4 – A Texas Exit For Lively’s Team Despite SXSW

Though Lively is headed to Austin, Texas for the 2025 SXSW Film Festival next month for the premiere of Another Simple Favor, her lawyers won’t be carrying out any litigation in the Lone Star state. Almost two weeks ago, Lively’s legal team had filed paperwork there in Hays County “to take a pre-suit deposition of Jed Wallace,” but the request was pulled by Austin firm Haynes Boone LLP. A “notice of non-suit/dismissal” was placed in the Texas court docket Feb. 4 over talking to Wallace, Street Relations crisis management boss. The deposition would have questioned Wallace about what he did and didn’t do in an alleged online smear campaign last year against Lively. 

Wallace, who has described himself as a “hired gun” could prove important in the trial, which is currently scheduled to take place starting March 9, 2026 in New York City.

Deadline will continue to update this piece as more news comes out around the tense situation.

Feb. 5 – Jed Wallace Files $7 Million Defamation Suit Against Blake Lively And Team

Architect of the alleged smear campaign aimed at Lively Jed Wallace launched a $7 million defamation suit against the A Simple Favor actress. The lawyer for the self-described “human crisis” navigator admitted Wednesday that the action is in response to Wallace’s likely addition to the It Ends With Us actress’ ongoing legal battles with Justin Baldoni, his company, his backers and his publicists.

Feb. 12 – Blake Lively & Ryen Reynolds Subpoena AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon

Lively and her husband sent out several subpoenas to cell carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon as well as alleged social media manipulator Jed Wallace on a hunt for real “receipts.”

“Ms. Lively has initiated discovery that will expose the people, tactics, and methods that have worked to ‘destroy’ and ‘bury’ her reputation and family over the past year,” attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said Wednesday. “Subpoenas went out to the entities below,” the duo added of the telecoms, Walace, AOL, and Cloudflare, Inc. “We will now receive all of the “receipts” that, unsurprisingly, are nowhere to be found on Mr. Freedman’s website, and like Ms. Lively, those ‘receipts’ will have their day in court.”

RELATED: Justin Baldoni’s Team Squabble With Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds’ Lawyers Over Subpoenas As Filing Deadline Approaches

Feb. 18 – Blake Lively Alleges Other Women Made Uncomfortable by Baldoni on IEWU Production

Blake Lively’s lawyers filed an amended complaint against Justin Baldoni citing that the It Ends With Us star and director made other women uncomfortable on set.

In a complaint 48 pages longer than the New Year’s Eve complaint Lively first filed, there are at least two other women cited who allegedly suffered from the actions of Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath. The individuals’ names are left out of the document for now.

This amendment came just days after the couple attended the SNL50 anniversary three-hour special, where Reynolds alluded to their spotlighted legal affairs briefly when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler asked how he was doing.

RELATED: ‘SNL50’: Ryan Reynolds Brings Some Lively Vs. Baldoni To NBC Late-Night Shindig

Feb. 19 – Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds’ PR Chief Wants Out Of Legal Battle with Baldoni

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds‘ publicist Leslie Sloane wants herself and her company Vision PR dropped from the ongoing feud between the celebrity couple and the IEWU director.

“The Wayfarer Parties dragged Leslie Sloane and Vision PR, Inc. into the instant litigation as a smoke and mirrors exercise to distract from their own sexual harassment and systematic retaliation,” asserts an accompanying memo to a motion to dismiss Sloane and Vision PR from the latest version of Baldoni’s $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit filed today in federal court.

Feb. 25 – Blake Lively Accuses Justin Baldoni Of “Disregard & Disrespect” For Sexual Harassment Victims

Lively’s lawyers told Judge Lewis J. Liman Tuesday in a letter that in fact “the travels of the mischaracterization embraced by the Opposition through this manufactured echo chamber, by itself, provides ample justification for a Protective Order that establishes adequate protections for third-party privacy interests.”

RELATED: ‘Another Simple Favor’ Trailer: Blake Lively Has More Up Her Sleeve In Italy-Set Amazon MGM Sequel

Those third-parties may include, but are not limited to, at least two other women that Lively said in her February 18 first amended complaint were made “uncomfortable” by Baldoni’s conduct during the making of the film based on Colleen Hoover’s domestic violence-themed novel. While the duo’s names were absent from the FAC, the documents assert the women intend to be witnesses in the trial, set for March 29, 2026, in New York City federal court. Lively’s side wants to limit who can look at what from the case to lawyers only as more and more evidence and other material is collected.

Feb. 28 – Blake Lively Hires Crisis PR Vet Nick Shapiro; Comes Out Victorious With Telecom Subpoenas

A federal judge partially denied a motion by the Bryan Freedman-repped Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, CEO, financier and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel to squash subpoenas that Lively’s lawyers wanted to serve on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and others.

“The Subpoenas must be quashed to the extent they seek the phone records of the Wayfarer Parties,” ruled Judge Lewis J. Liman. His mixed ruling the last Friday of Feb. provided a silver lining for Lively, though.

“Lively’s complaint already identifies many individuals who allegedly participated in a negative media campaign,” he said. “She is permitted to use the tools of discovery to identify the contact information or telephone numbers for those individuals.” 

RELATED: Blake Lively Pays Tribute To ‘Gossip Girl’ Co-Star Michelle Trachtenberg: “She Was Electricity”

Feb. 28 – Blake Lively Agrees The New York Times Should Exit Justin Baldoni’s Legal War

“The Wayfarer Parties’ FAC tells a one-sided tale that has garnered plenty of headlines,” the New York Times declared in a filing Feb. 28 asking to be removed from Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit. “But The Times does not belong in this dispute.”

March 4 – New York Times Granted Win In Clash

Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the NYT‘s request for stay of discovery as he weighed the company’s motion to be dismissed from a $400 million and more case in the clash between the It Ends With Us costars. This didn’t extricate The Gray Lady completely from the battle, but it means Baldoni won’t be going through the company’s business.

March 6 – Judge Liman Declares Battle a “Feud Between PR Firms”

Judge Lewis J. Liman’s statement arrived ahead of protective order hearing Thursday, March 6. The hearing was conducted virtually with Baldoni, Reynolds and SXSW-bound Lively not in apparent attendance. The March 6 session mainly centered around how much invormation should be covered under the standard model protective order.

RELATED: Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? ‘Verity,’ ‘Reminders Of Him’ & ‘Regretting You’ Will Join ‘It Ends With Us’

March 7 – Baldoni Blames Lively’s Publicist Leslie Sloane for Making Him Scapegoat

Shortly after Liman’s declaration of the true nature of the feud, Baldoni introduced a new barb to the ongoing case by blaming Lively’s longtime publicist Leslie Sloane for making him the target for the actress’ “woes.”

“As alleged in the Wayfarer Parties’ First Amended Complaint, the Sloane Parties played an active and integral role in a conspiracy to inflict harm on the Wayfarer Parties,” said a March 6-filed memorandum of opposition from Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, execs and his own PR team of Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel against Vision PR founder Sloane’s motion to have herself and her firm dismissed from the sprawling suit.

March 13 – Liman Warns of “Risk of Disclosure” For Both Parties; Designates What Info Is For ‘Attorneys’ Eyes Only’

“These cases involve both business competitors and allegations of sexual harm. Discovery will necessarily include confidential and sensitive business and personal information. The risk of disclosure is great. Both the Moving Parties and the Wayfarer Parties have accused opposing parties of providing private, sensitive, or confidential information to the media for their own business and personal advantage in ways that cannot easily be traced. Several individuals and corporations on each side are in the business of public relations or media and have easy access to the press.”

This compounded Baldoni’s loss of forward motion with the New York Times.

RELATED: Maika Monroe To Star In Universal’s Adaptation Of Colleen Hoover’s ‘Reminders Of Him’

“Today, the Court rejected the Wayfarer Parties’ objections and entered the protections needed to ensure the free flow of discovery material without any risk of witness intimidation or harm to any individual’s security,” a spokesperson for Lively told Deadline after Judge Liman’s order hit the federal docket. “With this order in place, Ms. Lively will move forward in the discovery process to obtain even more of the evidence that will prove her claims in Court.”

March 17 – Baldoni Doubles Down On Keeping NYT Involved

The actor’s March 14 memo called the institution “a pietistic bastion of the media establishment” that “has long presumed itself beyond accountability.”

“This dispute should be resolved by a jury at trial,” the wide-ranging March 14 memorandum of law in opposition from Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, CEO Jamey Health, financier Steve Sarowitz and publicists Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan retorts of the NYT‘s February 28-instigated attempt to be dropped from the matter long before the trial kicks off in March 2026.

RELATED: Everything We Know About Paramount’s ‘Regretting You’ Adaptation So Far

March 18 – Ryan Reynolds Moves For Dismissal, Points Out Holes In Baldoni’s Approach

“The entirety of Plaintiffs’ defamation claim appears to be based on two times that Mr. Reynolds allegedly called Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’” a memorandum of lawfiled March 18 in federal court by Reynolds’ attorneys declares, referring to an amended complaint by Baldoni and others earlier this year. “But, the FAC alleges no plausible facts that suggest Mr. Reynolds did not believe this comment to be true.”

The memo says Baldoni’s main accusation is “namely that Mr. Reynolds and an unnamed executive at WME had a conversation during a movie premiere about Mr. Reynolds’ ‘deep disdain for Baldoni, suggesting the agency was working with a ‘sexual predator,’” referring to remarks allegedly made a Deadpool & Wolverine screening and elsewhere.

March 20 – Lively Brings California Law Into The Equation

“The Court should dismiss all claims against Ms. Lively with prejudice, deny leave to amend, and award Ms. Lively all relief sought,” declared a memorandum of law just filed in federal court in NYC along with Lively’s motion to dismiss. Centering on a Golden State measure from 2023 that aims to safeguard accusers, and seemingly undercut Baldoni, Lively’s lawyers assert “the law prohibits weaponizing defamation lawsuits, like this one, to retaliate against individuals who have filed legal claims or have publicly spoken out about sexual harassment and retaliation.”

March 21 – Baldoni’s Lawyer Points Barbs At Lively’s “Self-Concocted Disaster” And “Abhorrent Examples of Abusing Our Legal System”

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman attacked Lively’s motion to dismiss herself from the complicated legal situation after the actress joined her Deadpool-starring husband and PR boss Leslie Sloane in moving to extricate themselves from Baldoni’s $400 defamation and extortion complaint.

April 3 – Baldoni Insists That Ryan Reynolds Wanted to Gain Power Over ‘It Ends With Us’ Project and Aimed to “Exaggerate Benign Interactions” Between Baldoni And Lively

In an April Fool’s Day opposition filing, director Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, exec and publicists accused Ryan Reynolds of “a coordinated effort to exaggerate benign interactions in service of a false narrative that Lively had been sexually harassed,” doing so to “instill terror in the Wayfarer Parties and leverage it to accumulate power.”

RELATED: “They F*cked Up”: Joe Rogan Chimes In On Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds’ Battle With Justin Baldoni

April 10 – Stephanie Jones Rebuts Baldoni’s “Specious Allegations”

Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, refuted his claims that she leaked confidential information in an effort to defame Blake Lively. April 10 filings from Jones’ attorneys said she produced the sensitive material in response to a subpoena, not as a voluntary act of subterfuge. Text messages from principal figures were included in this information.

April 21 – Justin Baldoni Slams Lively for “Sham Lawsuit”; Lively’s Team Says “Nothing To Hide” As A Secret Lawsuit From Lively Surfaces

A subpoena-seeking lawsuit from Lively, previous unrevealed until mid-April and filed Sept. 27, targets 10 unnamed “Does” with plaintiff “Vanzan,” a Delaware company formed in 2010 with Lively as CEO. Deadline broke the exclusive on this development.

“The DOE Defendants have undertaken direct efforts to contravene these agreements and instead have participated, and may continue to participate, in efforts to harm Plaintiff, including by: failing to act in Plaintiff’s best interests, taking actions to their personal benefit at Plaintiff’s expense, failing to freely communicate with Plaintiff regarding matters that impact Plaintiff’s business and reputation, and disclosing to third parties and failing to keep strictly confidential Plaintiff’s confidential and/or private information,” reads the complaint from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, one of the firms representing Lively, Reynolds and their PR chief Leslie Sloane in the suits against Baldoni and his inner circle.

April 24 – Jones’ Lawyer Kristin Tahler Pokes At Baldoni Team’s “Empty Gusto”; Secret Subpeona-Seeking Suit Slammed By Baldoni’s Team

“Reversing course, dropping previously touted claims, presenting zero new evidence, and putting out the world’s longest and most confusing statement – what a desperate ploy by a team who tonight all but admits they’re in trouble,” Tahler told Deadline April 24. “Behind their empty gusto you’ll find not even an attempt to defend the misdeeds laid bare by the evidence. Quite telling.”

RELATED: Disney & Marvel Don’t Want To Play Nicepool With Justin Baldoni Over ‘Deadpool’ In Blake Lively Battle

This was in response to a statement from Baldoni lawyer Bryan Freedman that “We are just starting to scratch the surface of a much broader and more insidious scheme. To be clear, Jones and Jonesworks are equally implicated in this misconduct.”

May 8 – Justin Baldoni’s Ex-Publicist Calls Actor’s Strategy “Whack-A-Mole” Tactics; Blake Lively Intends to Testify in Next Year’s Trial

A May 8 filing to dismiss some amended counterclaims made by Baldoni, Wayfarer execs and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, Jones and her team called out an alleged “effort to chill disclosure, shift blame, and distance itself from its own conduct.”

Attorneys for Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds asserted that the Another Simple Favor star will appear in court.

“This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set and the retaliation that followed,” said attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson in a statement to Deadline. “Of course she will testify.”

RELATED: Blake Lively Says The Past Year Has Brought “The Highest Of Highs & The Lowest Of Lows”

It is so far unclear whether Reynolds will also testify.

May 9 – Taylor Swift Subpoenaed in Longstanding Legal Battle, Asked To Divulge What Exactly She Knows About What Happened Behind the Scenes of the Film

Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman subpoenaed Taylor Swift, longtime friend of Blake Lively, May 9.

In response, a spokesperson for Lively said that day, ““Mr Baldoni, Mr Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids, going as far as suggesting that they sell tickets to a concert venue – Madison Square Garden – to witness Ms. Lively’s deposition, to subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions the world over.”

Swift’s song “my tears ricochet,” from her first surprise pandemic album folklore was used in It Ends With Us and teased in the film’s trailer.

RELATED: ‘Another Simple Favor’ Director Paul Feig Slams “Boring” Outrage Against Blake Lively

“This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus. The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down for all, a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it ‘unconstitutional.’ The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as ‘female allies’ and their team continue to show their true colors.”

May 14 – Baldoni’s Team Claims Lively Blackmailed Taylor Swift

In a letter to the federal judge overseeing the lawsuits, he Jane the Virgin alum’s main lawyer accused Lively of threatening to shame her singer/songwriter friend unless Swift publicly offered strong support on Lively’s side in the case. Lively and Reynolds’ lawyer Micheal Gottieb called the claim “completely false.”

May 15 – Judge Grants Lively’s Request To Toss “Improper” Taylor Swift Bullying Claims

After Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman reiterated claims that Swift’s personal text messages would be outed if she didn’t publicly support Lively in the ongoing legal battle, the judge overseeing the case tossed the claims out.

RELATED: More Than A Simple Favor: Judge Grants Blake Lively’s Request To Have “Improper” Taylor Swift Bullying Claims Tossed Out

May 19 – Blake Lively Decries Baldoni’s HR Probe Of Her Sexual Harassment Claims

Lively lawyer Esra Hudson sent a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman Monday seeking “documents and witness recordings concerning Wayfarer’s purported ‘neutral’ workplace investigation into Ms. Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims (the ‘Investigation’).” The Manett attorney added: “Wayfarer is withholding such documents and recordings, claiming (at least for now) attorney-client privilege and work product.”

Insisting the “so-called ‘Investigation’ is a disingenuous charade,” Hudson explained that “the Investigation Materials are highly relevant, are necessary for Ms. Lively and the Court to ensure that witness engagement has been proper, and have been put at issue by Wayfarer. They must be produced.”  

May 22: Taylor Swift Subpoena Dropped

Baldoni withdrew the paperwork seeking what info Taylor Swift knew about the behind-the-scenes It Ends With Us feud between the director and star Blake Lively.

RELATED: Taylor Swift Teases “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)” In Penultimate Episode Of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

June 2: Lively Holds Out On Dropping Emotional Distress Charges Against Baldoni

June kicked off with some wins on each side of the suit.

In a letter Monday to Judge Lewis J. Liman, with an email exchange between lawyers on both sides from this weekend attached, Baldoni attorney Kevin Fitz of Meister Seelig & Fein says “Ms. Lively’s counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her IED Claims.” 

Lively made it seem like there was no way she would do this.

“If Ms. Lively wants to withdraw her frivolous IED Claims, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to a dismissal with prejudice to ensure they will not be re-filed. If Ms. Lively is unwilling to stipulate to the dismissal of her IED Claims with prejudice, then the Wayfarer Parties will continue to defend against them, and she must produce her medical information and documents as set forth herein,” Fitz said.

June 3: Lively’s Emotional Distress Claims Are DOA

“The motion to compel … is denied based on Plaintiff’s representation that the relevant claims will be withdrawn,” Judge Lewis J, Liman wrote June 3 in a fairly brisk order (read it here). “For avoidance of doubt, if the claims are not dismissed, the Court will preclude Lively from offering any evidence of emotional distress. SO ORDERED”

June 9: Baldoni’s $400 Million Countersuit Tossed: Lively, Reynolds And NYT Declare “Total Victory”

A federal judge tossed out Baldoni’s $400 million defamation and extortion suit against Lively. Judge Lewis Liman has permitted Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, executives and PR team of Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel to submitted another amended complaint by June 23 against Lively, but the 132-page order released Monday doesn’t leave a lot of room for the It Ends With Us star and director.

RELATED: Blake’s Big Win: Justin Baldoni’s $400M Countersuit Tossed Out; Lively, Ryan Reynolds And NYT Declare “Total Victory”

June 10: Scooter Braun’s HYBE America Subpoenaed By Lively

Lively won big when she subpoenaed Taylor Swift’s long-time nemesis Scooter Braun’s HYBE America. Braun has been associated publicly with Baldoni for a while. Lively’s lawyers attempted to serve the subpoena Thursday, June 12.

June 13: Lively’s Lawyer Declares Convos With Taylor Swift “Irrelevant”

On Friday, June 13, Lively’s lawyers declared her texts with the songstress “irrelevant” to the ongoing legal battle between the It Ends With Us costars.

“Blake Lively respectfully submits this letter motion for a protective order regarding the Wayfarer Parties’ continuing demands for Ms. Lively’s communications with Taylor Swift (made again yesterday), which they have pursued at the same time they have refused to produce to Ms. Lively the documents they publicly claimed to have received as part of a deal to withdraw their subpoenas to Ms. Swift and her counsel,” declared a letter submitted to Judge Lewis J. Liman June 13 from Lively lawyer Esra A. Hudson of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. “Good cause exists for this request because it has been the Wayfarer Parties’ tactic since August 2024 to make Ms. Swift and her fan base central to their media strategy against Ms. Lively.”

June 18: Lively’s Texts With Taylor Swift Not Going To Stay Private

A big blow came to Lively when, Wednesday, June 18, Judge Liman denied her lawyers’ motion for a protective order over Lively’s and Swift’s digital chats.

RELATED: My Texts Ricochet: Blake Lively Loses Effort To Keep Taylor Swift Chats From Justin Baldoni’s Legal Team

July 14: Judge Liman Rules Lively Can Choose Deposition Location

Mid-July, a New York federal judge sided with Lively in her choice of location for the deposition in the ongoing legal battle.

“Lively will make arrangements for opposing counsel to have a dedicated computer and the ability to print and copy documents in the space chosen by Lively,” wrote Judge Lewis Liman, granting Lively’s motion for a protective order.

July 16: Judge Dismisses Lively’s Claims Against Social Media PR Expert Jed Wallace

Judge Liman also removed social media PR expert Jed Wallace, who Lively alleged was part of a negative campaign against her, from the case. The judge cited lack of jurisdiction for this decision, noting that Wallace is located in Texas while Lively filed her lawsuit in New York.

July 21: Justin Baldoni’s Insurer Sues Him & Wayfarer

Harco National Insurance Company, the company providing liability insurance to Baldoni and his production company, filed a lawsuit against both parties Monday, July 21 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Harco National says its policies don’t cover the claims asserted by Blake Lively in her sexual harassment lawsuit stemming from the making of It Ends With Us.

The company seeks a declaration that its two policies issued to Wayfarer — one effective from July 15, 2023-July 15, 2024 and one effective from July 15, 2024-July 15, 2025 — were signed after “Lively and others complained of sexual harassment during pre-production and production of the Film,” as early as May 2023, outside the time parameters of the policy.

August 1: Billionaire-Backed Baldoni Now Sues Other Insurance Companies For Denied Legal Fees

Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios co-founder and billionaire buddy Steve Sarowitz, who founded Paylocity, filed a lawsuit alongside Baldoni and Wayfarer going after some of the biggest insurance companies in the world for denying them coverage to fight Lively.

Baldoni, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Wayfarer itself and CEO Jamey Heath are trying to force New York Marine and General Insurance Company, QBE Insurance Corporation, some underwriters at Lloyd’s and others to pay out polices that they insist they deserve, or pay up.

August 4: Blake Lively Slams & Shames Justin Baldoni’s Lawyers Over Making Her Deposition Public

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came face-to-face at the end of July as the It Ends With Us actress gave a deposition in the fight over what happened behind the scenes of the film. Lively’s attorney’s filed a letter in federal court summarized the sit-down in a negative manner.

“In rushing to file on the public docket the entirety of the 292-page transcript on the day they received it, with no plausible legal reason to do so, the Wayfarer Defendants and their counsel have proved Ms. Lively’s point,” the correspondence Aug. 4 from Esra Hudson to Judge Lewis Liman said. “The transcript was ostensibly filed in support of their argument that there is no basis to assert that Bryan Freedman or his firm have participated in, fueled and advanced a smear campaign against Ms. Lively such that their conduct has ‘amounted to public relations work rather than that of an attorney.”

Livley and her team wanted everything sealed back up.

RELATED: Blake Lively Slams & Shames Justin Baldoni’s Lawyers Over Making Her Deposition Public, Leaking Details Of Last Week’s Sit-Down For “Media Campaign”

“But, in fact, this tactic perfectly demonstrates the counsel-as-PR agent role because there is no conceivable legal purpose to file the whole transcript, particularly given that it has not been reviewed, corrected or finalized, and a mere two pages of it were cited in their argument,” the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP partner added, pointing the finger at Baldoni’s side for “immediately” leaking “details from the deposition to the tabloid media.”

“The letter and attachment should be seen for what they are: a manufactured excuse to force the transcript into the public domain as fodder for the Wayfarer Defendants’ media campaign,” Hudson further added.

August 8: Blake Lively Gets Deposition Cut From Court Docket

By order of a federal judge, Lively’s deposition was struck from court record Aug. 8.

“The Wayfarer Parties’ attachment of the entire, nearly 300-page deposition—after citing only two pages of it in the Letter—served no proper litigation purpose and instead appears to have been intended to burden Lively (and as a result, the Court) and to invite public speculation and scandal,” Judge Lewis Liman said Friday.

August 19: Baldoni And Isabela Ferrer’s Spar Over Subpoena

Lawyers for Isabella Ferrer, who played the younger version of pal Lively’s Lily Bloom character in IEWU, said in an August 17 filing that they objected to Baldoni’s team’s desire to be permitted to “serve her by alternative means,” with a subpoena related to the case with Lively.

“Baldoni made no effort to tailor the subpoena towards the production of new or different materials, demonstrating that the real aim of the Baldoni Subpoena, as well as the pending Motion, is to harass Ms. Ferrer,” they added.

RELATED: Blake Lively To Star In & Produce Lionsgate Action Rom-Com ‘The Survival List’ Based On Tom Melia Spec

August 28: Megyn Kelly Brings Up A Subpoena That Lively’s Team Denies Ever Sending

Megyn Kelly hinted that Lively and her team “tried to get the confidential and proprietary materials my team and I used for any and all stories about her” on her podcast, to which a spokesperson responded that there was never a subpoena sent to the former Fox News host.

September 12: Justin Baldoni Tries To Get Deposition From Taylor Swift, Judge Rules No

In  a September 11 letter to the court, Baldoni and team claimed that singer songwriter Taylor Swift had agreed to sit for a deposition between Oct 20-25, but the singer, whose upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl releases Oct. 3, insisted that this agreement was never made.

RELATED: Taylor Swift Insists She “Did Not Agree To Deposition” In Blake Lively Case, As Justin Baldoni Claims; Will Show Up If “Forced” – Update

A little more than 24 hours later, Judge Lewis Liman ruled out any deposition from the Eras Tour performer. He also granted Lively a 10-day extension on depositions for Baldoni, Steve Sarowitz and Jamey Heath.

October 1: The New York Times Sues Justin Baldoni And Wayfarer

The New York Times filed a suit against Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer for nearly $150,000 in attorney’s fees, damages and more.

“The New York Times filed a suit against Justin Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, to obtain reimbursement of The Times’s legal fees from their baseless libel suit, which has now been dismissed by a federal judge,” the company’s Communications SVP Danielle Rhoades Ha told Deadline. “New York law allows publishers to recover their fees when they are targeted by suits designed to silence them. That is precisely what happened here. Our journalists covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and Wayfarer and Baldoni should pay for having tried to misuse the courts and mislead the public.”

October 22: Auto-Deleted Messages Around Alleged Smear Campaign Surface

Lively’s team, backed up by a similar filing from Baldoni’s ex-PR firm Jonesworks LLC, called out Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and publicists like Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel over deliberate use of the Signal app, voice memos and other software for their smear campaign against the Another Simple Favor actress. The aim of Baldoni’s camp using Signal back in 2024 is said to be  “either destroying or failing to preserve relevant communication in real time.”

The reveal about Signal usage come out of depositions with ex-Nathan staffers like Breanna Butler and Katherine Case.

RELATED: Alleged Smear Campaign Messages That Auto-Deleted, Hidden From Courts Crank Up The Heat Anew In Blake Lively Vs. Justin Baldoni Battle

November 5: Judge Lewis Liman Dismisses Jed Wallace Again

For the second time in the last six months, Judge Lewis Liman saw no relevance to Texas-based Jed Wallace’s involvement in the ongoing case. Thus, he granted the motion to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint due to lack of personal jurisdiction.

November 6: Livley Names Potential Witnesses; Wants Triple The Money She Lost In Smear Campaign

Newly unsealed disclosure documents, revealed that Lively’s ongoing battle with Justin Baldoni is costing her hundreds of millions and counting. The trial will seek “an amount not less than three times the amount of Ms. Lively’s actual damages,” which are estimated to be $161 million at the end of the day. This means she seeks $500 million.

A list of names has taken shape for those who could take the stand at the trial next spring — Taylor Swift, Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, his Deadpool & Wolverine costar Hugh Jackman, Emily Blunt, Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Jenny Slate, Sony Pictures execs Tony Vinciquerra, Tom Rothman, Tahra Grant, Gloria Rico Haan and Bridgette Wright, now Paramount exec Josh Greenstein, Range Media’s Jack Whigham, Gigi Hadid, various New York Times reporters, WME’s Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell, Sarah Self and Danny Greenberg, Soho House’s Samantha Stone, Scooter Braun and Candace Owen.

November 13: Baldoni Files To Have Lively’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Him Thrown Out

Baldoni and Wayfarer’s newish lead lawyer Alexandra Shapiro filed a motion for summary judgement before the East Coast deadline on Thursday, November 13. He has not specified a reason.

RELATED: Justin Baldoni Wants Blake Lively’s Suit Against Him Thrown Out, But Doesn’t Want To Reveal Why – Yet

November 20, 2025: Colleen Hoover Weighs in on Legal Battle

Author Colleen Hoover, who wrote It Ends With Us based on her mother’s story, expressed that she’s “almost embarrassed” to have her name attached the book and film because the lawsuit has overshadowed the work itself. The author had since had the Regretting You film adaptation arrive, and in 2026, will have Reminders of Him and Verity hit the big screens as well.

December 4, 2025: Lively Rejects Baldoni’s Move To Dismiss Lawsuit

“In their latest effort to avoid accountability for the hostile environment they created during the production and marketing of It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, and their co-defendants ask this Court to shield them from trial, and deny Blake Lively her day in court, by throwing the kitchen sink at Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims,” said a filing early December 2025 from the actress rejecting a late November motion for summary judgment by Baldoni, his execs and PR team.

December 9, 2025: Lively’s March Date in Court Delayed, Baldoni Trial Pushed And Judge Recommends Settlement

Judge Lewis Liman informed assembled attorneys mid-December 2025 that “criminal trials take precedent” over Lively and Baldoni’s battle. Thus, he pushed the March 9, 2026 civil trial date that had been set for months. The Lively vs. Baldoni trial is now scheduled to begin May 18.

December 11, 2025: Taylor Swift Overlap Suggested

“GUDEA found a significant user overlap between accounts pushing the Swift ‘Nazi’ narrative and those active in a separate astroturf campaign attacking Blake Lively,” said a data analysis by behavioral intelligence startup GUDEA, citing a surge in harsh online “inauthentic narratives” around the political and cultural beliefs of the godmother of one of Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ kids and the October release of her album The Life of a Showgirl. “This overlap reveals a cross-event amplification network, one that disproportionately influences multiple celebrity-driven controversies and injects misinformation into otherwise organic conversations.”

RELATED: How Rebel Wilson’s Directorial Debut ‘The Deb’ Descended Into Legal Chaos, Devastating Cast & Crew

December 19, 2025: Settlement Talks Planned Between Lively & Baldoni

Lawyers for both celebrities discussed coming to a settlement mid-December 2025, but they were also preparing to go to trial in May 2026 as hopes were not high that the two parties cold reach an agreement.

January 20, 2026: Lively Divulges Details of Film Shoot Days Before Pivotal Hearing

Newly-unsealed filings of text messages between Lively and various costars and other friends like Jenny Slate and Taylor Swift unveil more of what was going on behind the scenes of the Sony film.

RELATED: Blake Lively Reveals “Gross & Disturbing” Details Of ‘It Ends With Us’ Shoot Ahead Of Pivotal Hearing

Jan 22, 2026 – Baldoni’s Lawyer Argues Lively’s Case Should Be Tossed Out
 
In a hearing Jan. 22, Baldoni’s lawyer Jonathan Bach grounded his argument that Lively’s case should be tossed out in the idea that she knew what she was signing up for when she committed to the movie.

Lively signed on to “portray a steamy and turbulent romance at the heart of the film,” the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial veteran said at the New York City federal court hearing. Clearly surprised by the remark, Judge Liman interrupted Bach for clarification, asking if the lawyer intended suggest that as an actress “you’ve subjected yourself to all kinds of sexual harassment.” Bach replied in the negative but added that “context matters.”

Feb 11, 2026 – Settlement Talks Flounder

Attempts to reach a deal have proven “unsuccessful,” Baldoni attorney Bryan Freedman said Wednesday, Feb. 11, speaking outside Manhattan’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse as the first and maybe last day of a settlement conference between the parties concluded.

RELATED: No Deal! Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni Settlement Talks Flounder As Trial Looms

April 2 – Case Still Headed to Trial

In early April, a federal judge axed Lively’s legal action against Baldoni, tossing out her allegations of sexual harassment and a 162-page ruling. The trial remains set for May.

April 3 – Lively Vows To Keep Fighting

The Friday after her action and ruling were dismissed, Lively took to social media to proclaim that she would continue her fight.

“I know it’s a privilege to be able to stand up. I will not waste it,” she wrote that evening.

April 6 – Last-Minute Meeting Does Not Yield Anything Different

Lawyers for the former and bitterly battling co-stars were ordered to call in with Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave on Monday afternoon to find out “their client’s updated settlement position.”

May 4 – The Parties Settle

On May 4 2026, the It Ends With Us director and star settled their battle, just two weeks before the lawsuit was set to go to court in New York.

RELATED: It’s Over! Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni End ‘It Ends With Us’ Retaliation Legal Battle