New York, New York – Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni have again refused a possible settlement, sending the bombshell legal battle to trial.
The leading actors of the 2024 romantic drama have been tied up in a nasty legal war following Lively’s initial lawsuit that accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation.
While the 37-year-old Gossip Girl star’s sexual harassment claims were tossed by a judge last week, her retaliation claims will proceed.
According to the Daily Mail, Lively and Baldoni failed to reach a settlement in the latest rounds of talks on Monday.
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The last-minute negotiations were ordered by the judge following the gutting of Lively’s case, which saw the dismissal of 10 out of her 13 claims.
Baldoni still stands accused of retaliation, aiding and abetting in retaliation, and breach of contract.
While the 42-year-old actor-director’s team celebrated the judge’s decision, Lively issued a defiant statement emphasizing that the “heart of [her] case” still remains in play.
In the message, which she reposted on Monday, Lively warned against the distraction of the “digital soap opera” that the case has turned into.
“The constant packaging of this lawsuit as ‘Celebrity Drama’ is not only irresponsible, but it is by design: to keep you from seeing yourselves in my story,” she added.
The case is set to go to trial on May 18.
