Megan Dougherty | Writer
May 23, 2026
On May 4th, the reigned “Queen of the Met Gala” Blake Lively graced the carpet with yet another stunning look. That same day, however, her two-year legal battle with co-star Justin Baldoni finally came to a standstill – not exactly in the way she was hoping.
The two were featured alongside each other in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s hit novel It Ends With Us back in August of 2024.
The story is centered around how the relationship between main characters Lily and Ryle spirals from playful to toxic and abusive, following along Lily’s journey as she finds the confidence to escape. The film intended to spread awareness of domestic abuse and encourage victims to speak up and seek help.
Because the movie dealt with such heavy topics, a safe and light-hearted energy on set was essential to a positive filming experience. And this standard was believed to be upheld until December 2024, when Blake Lively first came out with accusations against Baldoni.
Baldoni was accused of sexual harassment and retaliation. Lively claimed that his inappropriate actions made for a hostile work environment that plagued her personal security and went against the messages being sent out by the film itself. SCHS senior Isabella Macchia shared that she “thought it wasn’t real at first” because it seemed to be “exactly what the movie was trying to warn against.”
Baldoni denied these claims and proceeded to file lawsuits on both Blake and her husband, as well as the New York Times for libel and slander. He counter-claimed that his actions being targeted were “cherry-picked” and taken out of context. Both suits were later dismissed by a federal judge.
The lack of legal success in the controversy caused Lively and Baldoni to take matters to the public in hopes of garnering the media’s attention.
The two both posted a series of defensive and offensive statements on social media to protect their images and diffuse claims.
Due to this stagnant dispute, tension lingered during the movie’s press tour. Baldoni and Lively were hardly ever even pictured near each other, often arriving to events at separate times to avoid confrontation.
The legal battle continued to be relatively back and forth with neither side being found guilty of their respective allegations. The majority of the claims in the controversy were dismissed by judges.
It wasn’t until this month that the case began to settle.
Without any money being exchanged, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni agreed to an undisclosed settlement in which neither party was “victorious.”
This decision, or lack thereof, sparked widespread confusion in the media, questioning the purpose of the battle to begin with. While SCHS junior Ryan Cuenca recognized the “importance of saying something,” she felt that “the outcome of the case was underwhelming” and was so lackluster that it “could’ve been an email.”
Lively appears at the Met Gala that same evening, seemingly unbothered, as if the case had never happened in the first place.
Due to the length of the battle, the lack of action within the time frame, and the absence of a winning and losing party, the internet has come to the consensus that the Lively and Baldoni controversy was not necessarily “one for the books.”
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