Justin Baldoni’s lawyer criticises Blake Lively after pair settle It Ends With Us lawsuit

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni this week settled their long-running legal dispute over the movie It Ends With Us. Photo / Getty Images

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has claimed Blake Lively was “scared” to testify at trial.

The two actors had been locked in a high-profile legal dispute since December 2024 following their work on the 2024 movie It Ends With Us. They reached an out-of-court settlement agreement on May 4 this year.

Days later, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman alleged in a statement to TMZ: “Part of the reason Blake settled is because she was scared to take the witness stand at trial.

“She did not want to face cross-examination by anyone because that would require her to tell the truth.”

Lively, 38, accused Baldoni, who starred in and directed It Ends With Us, of sexual harassment and co-ordinating a smear campaign against her.

Baldoni, 42, who played Lively’s on-screen love interest in the movie, and his Wayfarer Studios production company subsequently countersued the actor and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing the Hollywood couple of defamation and extortion.

Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment; he countersued for defamation and extortion. Photos / Getty Images

Freedman claimed “she ended up with nothing” and questioned her motivations.

He said: “If she’s doing this for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment and retaliation as she says, then why don’t you take the stand at trial and prove it to the world?

“A trial would have exposed her lies and the entire smear she was talking about in her interviews that she did.”

In response to his comments, Lively’s legal team said: “I guess he’s no longer ‘ecstatic’ about the settlement.”

Freedman had previously insisted that while he couldn’t “talk about the terms of the settlement”, his client is “ecstatic”.

Lively and Baldoni issued a joint statement through their representatives this week confirming they had reached an undisclosed settlement.

The statement read: “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.

“Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind. We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognise concerns raised by Ms Lively deserved to be heard.

“We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”