Justin Baldoni's legal counsel has asserted that Blake Lively was "intimidated" by the prospect of testifying during the trial. The 42-year-old star and the 38-year-old actress were embroiled in a high-profile legal battle since December 2024, stemming from their collaboration on the 2024 film "It Ends With Us." The duo finally arrived at an out-of-court settlement agreement on Monday. Days later, Justin's lawyer, Bryan Freedom, alleged in a statement to TMZ, "Part of the reason Blake settled is because she was scared to take the witness stand at trial." He further added, "She did not want to face cross-examination by anyone because that would have necessitated her to speak the truth."
For context, Blake accused Justin, who starred in and directed "It Ends With Us," of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Justin, who played Blake's on-screen love interest in the movie, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, subsequently countersued the actress and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing the Hollywood couple of defamation and extortion.
Freeman claimed that "she ended up with nothing," and even questioned her motivations. He added, "If she's doing this for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment and retaliation as she says, then why doesn't she take the stand at trial and prove it to the world? A trial would have exposed her lies and the entire smear she was talking about in her interviews."
In response to his comments, Blake's legal team stated: "I guess he's no longer 'ecstatic' about the settlement." This response is a reference to Freeman's previous statement that he couldn't "talk about the terms of the settlement" but his client was "ecstatic."
Earlier this week, Blake and Justin issued a joint statement through their representatives confirming that they had reached an undisclosed settlement. The statement read, "The end product — the movie 'It Ends With Us' — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life." It further mentioned, "Raising awareness and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind. We acknowledge that the process presented challenges and recognize that Ms. Lively deserved to be heard."
The statement concluded, "We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online." This marks the settlement between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
