Blake Lively Lawsuit: Both Cases Are Over — Here Is How Each Ended
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There were two federal cases in Manhattan, not one: Blake Lively’s suit against Wayfarer Studios, Justin Baldoni and others, and the Wayfarer side’s $400 million countersuit against her. The countersuit was dismissed in June 2025. Lively’s case was cut down to three claims on April 2, 2026 and settled on May 4, 2026, with no money paid. The last open piece — her legal fees for defending the countersuit — was decided on August 26, 2026. This is a dispute between private parties. It is not a class action and there is nothing for the public to claim.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What Each Side Claimed
Lively’s claims (allegations, never proven at trial). Lively, who starred in the 2024 film It Ends With Us, alleged that Baldoni, who directed and co-starred, sexually harassed her during production, and that he, Wayfarer Studios and a crisis-PR team then ran a smear campaign to retaliate against her for complaining. Baldoni denied all of the allegations.
The Wayfarer side’s claims (also allegations, dismissed). Baldoni, Wayfarer and their publicists sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist for $400 million, alleging extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. They alleged Lively used false harassment accusations and threats to withdraw from the film to take creative control, and that her bad press came from her own conduct on the press tour. Baldoni separately sued The New York Times for $250 million over its December 2024 article. Those claims were dismissed; no court found the Wayfarer allegations proven.
The joint settlement statement acknowledged that making the film “presented challenges” and that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard.” Baldoni’s lawyer has continued to say there was no harassment, no retaliation and no smear campaign.
Case Details
Both cases were in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before Judge Lewis J. Liman, and were handled together:
1. Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, No. 1:24-cv-10049 (LJL). Filed December 31, 2024. Defendants included Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Melissa Nathan, The Agency Group PR and Jennifer Abel. In the court’s April 2, 2026 Opinion and Order, Judge Liman threw out ten of Lively’s 13 claims, including sexual harassment. News reports say he found that the harassment claims were brought under California law even though filming was in New Jersey, and that the retaliation claims depended on Lively being an employee, when she was an independent contractor. Three claims survived (retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract). None of them were against Baldoni personally. Lively dropped them in the May 4, 2026 settlement.
2. Wayfarer Studios LLC v. Lively, No. 1:25-cv-00449. Filed January 16, 2025. In June 2025 the court dismissed it, along with the claims against The New York Times, in a 132-page opinion. The Wayfarer parties did not file an amended complaint by the October 31 deadline, and the court entered final judgment.
Status: Settled, Dismissed, Fees Decided
Lively’s case: settled on May 4, 2026, two weeks before jury selection was due to start on May 18. Settlement terms are confidential. NBC News and Variety report that no money changed hands.
The $400 million countersuit: dismissed in June 2025, followed by a final judgment.
The fee fight: The settlement kept alive Lively’s motion under California Civil Code Section 47.1, a 2023 law against retaliatory defamation suits. Both sides agreed in the settlement not to appeal the ruling on that motion. On June 12, 2026 Judge Liman ruled that Lively could recover her legal fees. He denied triple and punitive damages, finding they were not available in this federal case. He said she could still seek damages “by other means.” On August 26, 2026 he awarded her $363,245.40 in fees and $44,206.35 in costs, about $407,451 in total. She had asked for $8,035,040.88. We have not found any later damages suit by Lively.
Is Anyone Else Affected?
No. These were lawsuits between named people and companies. No class was proposed and no class was certified. Viewers, fans and ticket buyers of It Ends With Us had no claim in either case and are not owed anything.
If you worked on the production and have your own workplace complaint, that would be a separate matter. Nothing in these cases opened a claims process for crew or cast. The only money the court ordered was the fee award, which is paid to Lively by the Wayfarer side.
Who Got Paid, and How Much
Between the parties, the only court-ordered payment is the fee award to Lively: $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs, ordered on August 26, 2026. The judge found her lawyers’ rates were not unreasonable but that the number of hours was. He also refused fees for media-relations work and some travel. That works out to about 5% of the $8,035,040.88 she requested. Lively received no money in the May 2026 settlement. Baldoni’s $400 million and $250 million claims ended in dismissal, with no recovery. For how defamation claims are judged in general, see our defamation lawsuit guide.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 131,493 civil rights employment casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025, 1.5% of them filed as class actions:
- 41.8% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 14% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 41.8% and 55.7%.
- 12.3% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 76 reached a trial (1.3%), after a median of 27.5 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 10.1 months.
- Only 1,159 of them (0.9%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $250,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal civil rights employment cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Blake Lively Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
December 31, 2024 — Lively Files in Federal Court
Lively sues Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni and others in the Southern District of New York (1:24-cv-10049). She alleges harassment and retaliation; the defendants deny it.
- 2
January 16, 2025 — The $400 Million Countersuit
Wayfarer, Baldoni and their publicists sue Lively, Reynolds and her publicist (1:25-cv-00449), alleging extortion and defamation. Lively denies the claims.
- 3
June 2025 — Countersuit Dismissed
Judge Liman dismisses the Wayfarer claims against Lively, Reynolds, her publicist and The New York Times in a 132-page opinion. Final judgment follows after no amended complaint is filed.
- 4
April 2, 2026 — Lively’s Case Cut to Three Claims
Ten of Lively’s 13 claims are dismissed, including sexual harassment. The claims that survive are retaliation, aiding and abetting, and breach of contract, none of them against Baldoni personally.
- 5
May 4, 2026 — Settlement Before Trial
Two weeks before trial, set for May 18, the parties settle. Lively drops her claims and, according to reports, receives no money. Her fee motion stays pending, and both sides give up any appeal from the ruling on it.
- 6
August 26, 2026 — Fee Award
After ruling on June 12 that Lively is entitled to fees but not to triple or punitive damages, Judge Liman awards her $363,245.40 in fees and $44,206.35 in costs.
Three Things to Watch For
A famous name, a settlement and a dollar figure in the headlines are what scammers look for:
“Claim your It Ends With Us settlement” pages
No class action and no settlement fund exist for viewers, fans or ticket buyers. A site asking for your details or a “processing fee” to claim a share is not connected to the court.
Ads using Lively’s or Baldoni’s face
Fake “news” articles and AI-made video ads often borrow a celebrity from a story in the news to sell supplements, crypto or “trading” schemes. Neither party has endorsed any product as part of this case.
Donation requests for a “legal fund”
The court-ordered fees are paid between the parties. No court set up a public fund, and an appeal of the fee ruling was waived in the settlement. Be wary of anyone collecting money “for the case.”
Blake Lively Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is the Blake Lively lawsuit over?
Yes. Lively’s case against Wayfarer settled on May 4, 2026. Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit was dismissed in June 2025. The last open issue, her legal fees, was decided on August 26, 2026, and the parties had agreed not to appeal that ruling.
Did Blake Lively get money in the settlement?
Not according to reporting by NBC News and Variety, which say no money changed hands and the terms are confidential. Separately, the court awarded her $363,245.40 in fees and $44,206.35 in costs for defending the dismissed countersuit.
Did the court find that Baldoni harassed Lively?
No. Nothing was decided on the facts. On April 2, 2026 the harassment claims were dismissed on legal grounds: where the conduct happened, and Lively’s status as an independent contractor. The case then settled before trial. The harassment allegations remain allegations, and Baldoni denies them.
Did the court find that Lively defamed or extorted Baldoni?
No. The Wayfarer claims were dismissed in June 2025. The court held that statements in Lively’s legal complaint were privileged, and that the other claims did not meet the legal standard.
Why was Lively awarded fees if she dropped her case?
The fee award comes from the countersuit, not from her own claims. California Civil Code Section 47.1 lets a person who is sued for defamation over a sexual-harassment complaint recover defense costs. Judge Liman ruled on June 12, 2026 that Lively qualified. He cut her $8,035,040.88 request down to about $407,451.
Can I join the Blake Lively lawsuit or claim money?
No. These were individual cases, not class actions, and there is no fund, no administrator, no claim form and no deadline. For settlements that are actually paying people, see open class action settlements.
What happened with the New York Times lawsuit?
Baldoni’s $250 million suit against the Times over its December 2024 article was folded into the New York case and dismissed in June 2025, together with the claims against Lively. The Times stood by its reporting.
Is there an appeal?
As part of the May 2026 settlement, the parties waived any appeal from the court’s ruling on Lively’s Section 47.1 motion. As of October 2026 we have found no appeal. Judge Liman did note that Lively could still seek damages through a separate suit.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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