Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has confirmed that efforts to resolve the actor-director’s legal dispute with Blake Lively outside the courtroom have so far fallen short, leaving the former co-stars on track for a trial later this year.
Speaking outside Manhattan’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse on Wednesday, February 11, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said a court-ordered settlement discussion held earlier that day was “unsuccessful”.
While he acknowledged that a deal could still theoretically happen, he added that he did not know whether the two sides would return to the negotiating table before the case goes to trial.
When asked about the probability of facing Lively in court, Freedman made his intent clear, saying he was “looking forward to it”.
The comments came after Baldoni, 42, and Lively, 38, attended a private conference with Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave in New York to explore whether they could reach an agreement without proceeding to a full civil trial.
Baldoni arrived at the courthouse with his wife, Emily, while Lively entered on her own.
The settlement talks were moderated by Judge Lewis J. Liman, who suggested in December 2025 that the parties attempt to resolve the matter privately, particularly as the trial date had already been pushed back.
The legal battle dates back to December 2024, when Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and of planning a smear campaign against her following the production of It Ends With Us.
The film, which Baldoni directed and starred in alongside Lively, was released in August 2024 and was based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel.
Baldoni has denied all of Lively’s allegations. He later filed countersuits against Lively and The New York Times, which reported on her claims, but those actions were dismissed in June 2025.
Lively’s civil case was originally scheduled to go to trial in March, but it was delayed until May 18 due to Judge Liman’s existing workload.
With settlement talks failing to produce an agreement, both camps now appear to be preparing for a courtroom showdown in May, unless a last-minute deal changes the course of the highly watched case.
