Deck: After 18 months of lawsuits, counter-lawsuits, and a very public war of words, Justin Baldoni’s attorney dropped the full settlement agreement for the world to read. Here’s what it means — and why it matters.

A Legal Battle That Felt Like It Would Never End

If you’ve been following the Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively legal drama since it exploded in late 2024, you’re probably exhausted. And honestly? You’re not alone.

What started as a behind-the-scenes dispute over the film It Ends With Us ballooned into one of the messiest celebrity legal battles in recent Hollywood memory — complete with sexual harassment allegations, a smear campaign, a libel suit against the New York Times, and a $400 million counter-lawsuit. Now, more than a year later, the case appears to be winding down. And Baldoni’s attorney is trying to make sure everyone knows it.

Why Baldoni’s Lawyer Went Public With the Settlement

On June 16, 2026, attorney Bryan Freedman published the full settlement agreement between his client Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively — a move that raised eyebrows and prompted immediate questions about strategy and intent.

Freedman appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show the day before to explain his reasoning. He said he released the document “to allow people finality,” and to give both parties — including Lively — a clean break. “To allow her the dignity to move on with her life and put this all behind everyone,” Freedman said, according to Yahoo News. He added pointedly: “When you settle, you should settle. Wish the other party the best and move on.”

The context for this public disclosure matters. Just days before Freedman’s announcement, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ordered Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, to cover Lively’s attorneys’ fees — a ruling that clearly stung. Publishing the settlement may have been, in part, a way for Team Baldoni to shift the narrative after that financial blow.

What the Settlement Actually Says

So what does the agreement include? According to Yahoo News, the settlement formally ends all litigation between the parties, blocks any future claims connected to the dispute, and locks in a joint public statement both sides agreed to release.

Notably, the settlement does not fully close the book on money. Lively’s request for attorneys’ fees and damages under section 47.1 of California law was left for the court to determine separately — which is exactly what Judge Liman did when he ordered Baldoni to cover those legal costs.

In May, both actors issued that agreed-upon joint statement through their legal teams. It read, in part, that they “remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments,” and expressed hope that the resolution would bring “closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace.”

The Full Timeline: From Film Set to Federal Court

To understand why this moment feels significant, it helps to remember just how far this thing traveled.

The conflict became public in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department. She alleged that Baldoni and other key figures behind It Ends With Us — which he also directed — had sexually harassed her and tried to orchestrate a coordinated smear campaign against her. Baldoni denied the accusations.

By December 31, 2024, both sides had lawyered up and filed formal lawsuits. Baldoni sued the New York Times for libel over its reporting on Lively’s complaint. Lively simultaneously formalized her allegations into a civil lawsuit against Baldoni in New York. Baldoni then countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and others, alleging extortion and defamation.

The suits were consolidated in January 2025. By June 2025, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane, along with Baldoni’s defamation case against the Times. Then in April 2026, the same judge significantly narrowed Lively’s case — tossing claims of on-set sexual harassment — while allowing her to pursue claims tied to alleged retaliation by Baldoni’s public relations team.

The settlement came in May 2026, and the public statement followed shortly after.

What This Means for Both of Their Careers

The case leaves complicated legacies on both sides. Lively succeeded in keeping some of her retaliation claims alive before a settlement was reached, but the court’s decision to dismiss the sexual harassment allegations was a significant setback on the most serious charges.

Baldoni, meanwhile, saw his massive counter-lawsuit thrown out entirely. His legal team framing the settlement release as an act of generosity — giving Lively “the dignity to move on” — reads more as spin than candor, but the underlying point may still hold: prolonged litigation rarely helps anyone’s public image or peace of mind.

Freedman’s repeated emphasis on wanting Justin to spend “unmitigated time” with his family, and to “continue moving on with his career,” suggests Baldoni’s team is eager to close this chapter and help him rehabilitate his professional standing in Hollywood.

The Bottom Line

The Baldoni–Lively case was never a simple story, and its ending is no different. There’s no clean verdict, no definitive courtroom moment — just a settlement, a joint statement, and a lawyer publishing documents to try to shape the narrative one last time.

What’s clear is that both parties agreed this was better than continuing to fight. And maybe that’s as close to a resolution as we were ever going to get.

Call-to-Action: Bookmark this page for updates as the attorneys’ fees ruling develops — the financial chapter of this story may not be fully written yet.

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Sources

[1] Yahoo News / ABC News. “Justin Baldoni’s lawyer publishes settlement with Blake Lively.” June 16, 2026.