Attempts to reach a settlement in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit in Manhattan court today appear to have been fruitless.
According to Deadline, Baldoni’s attorney Brian Friedman, who is representing the “It Ends with Us” director in his sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Lively, said Wednesday that attempts to reach a pretrial agreement “failed.”
Friedman acknowledged that there was “always a chance” that a settlement could be reached between the feuding parties, but added that he “doesn’t know if” negotiations will resume.
Deadline reported that the Gossip Girl alum and Mr. Baldoni left the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in New York City around 4 p.m. ET.
According to the same media, although the May 18 trial start date is uncertain, Friedman said, “I’m looking forward to it.”
A representative for Lively did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday morning, the co-stars arrived separately in inexplicably similar outfits, with Lively in an olive green suit ensemble and Baldoni in a trench coat in the same shade.
Baldoni arrived with his wife, Emily, but the “A Simple Favor” actress attended the settlement meeting without her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
The closed-door hearing in Manhattan was overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave. This is the first time the actors have faced each other in court since the legal battle began in December 2024.
Lively and Baldoni, who played opposite lovers in the domestic violence drama, first sparked rumors of tension in August 2024 when they appeared separately during a press event for the film.
Lively filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment in December 2024, and filed suit against her co-star the following month.
Actress Baldoni has claimed that she is liable for at least $161 million in damages and lost revenue due to an alleged smear campaign against her during the film’s release.
Mr. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a countersuit in January 2025 seeking $400 million against Mr. Lively and Mr. Reynolds, but Judge Louis J. Lehman, who is scheduled to oversee the impending trial in May, dismissed Mr. Baldoni’s suit last summer.
Mr. Baldoni tried to dismiss Mr. Lively’s lawsuit in November 2025, but no ruling has been made yet.
As the case escalates, recently released documents reveal the peripheral involvement of stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift and Johnny Depp.
