Just when it looked like the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was finally over, a new dispute has pulled both sides back into court.
According to NewsNation, Judge Lewis Liman has ordered representatives for Lively and Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, to appear at a June 1 hearing to address unresolved questions surrounding Lively’s attempt to recover attorneys’ fees, litigation costs, and damages. The hearing comes less than a month after the two sides reached a surprise settlement that appeared to end their nearly 18-month court fight stemming from It Ends with Us.
According to court directives, both parties were instructed to submit additional legal briefs before the hearing. The central issue is whether Lively is entitled to recover money from Wayfarer under legal protections designed to shield individuals who report sexual misconduct from retaliatory lawsuits.
The dispute traces back to Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which was dismissed last year. Although the court threw out that countersuit, Judge Liman never fully resolved whether a California statute cited by Lively’s attorneys applies to the case. That unresolved issue has now become the focus of the latest hearing.
The development has also sparked criticism from outside observers. Defense attorney Mark Geragos argued during a television appearance that the judge’s latest order raises questions about how the case was handled following earlier rulings.
“One of the reasons they instantly settled is because, if you read the judge’s order, the lawyers for Lively had committed egregious — I think, in my opinion — errors that the judge pointed out,” Geragos said. He specifically referenced jurisdictional issues that became a major factor in the court’s earlier decisions.
The hearing arrives after months of setbacks for Lively’s case. In May, Judge Liman dismissed 10 of her 13 claims against Justin Baldoni, including allegations related to sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.
In a lengthy ruling, the judge determined that Lively was working as an independent contractor rather than an employee during the production of It Ends with Us. That distinction proved critical because it prevented several workplace-related claims from moving forward under federal law.
Baldoni denied the allegations and maintained that concerns raised on set were addressed appropriately.
Despite the settlement announced earlier this month, neither side walked away with a financial payout. Both camps absorbed enormous legal costs during the dispute.
