Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Head Toward Trial After Failed Talks

Hollywood tried to handle this one behind closed doors; instead, it now looks headed for a very public courtroom showdown.

The settlement conference between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni didn’t produce peace, a payout, or even a pause. It produced a lawyer walking out of a Manhattan federal courthouse and calling the talks “unsuccessful.”

Translation: barring a last-minute miracle, two former onscreen love interests are about to face off at trial over some of the most serious allegations you can level in this business.

The Moment

On Wednesday in New York City, Lively and Baldoni showed up separately at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse for a closed-door settlement conference in her federal sexual harassment and retaliation case against him.

Outside the court, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told reporters that efforts to reach a deal were “unsuccessful,” while adding there’s “always a chance” negotiations could resume. He also said he’s “looking forward to” the scheduled May 18 trial start date, signaling his side is preparing to fight this out in front of a jury.

Court ordered settlement talks in Blake Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Justin Baldoni have floundered, and the ‘It Ends With Us’ co-stars are almost certainly going to trial.

Attempts to reach a deal have proven “unsuccessful,” Baldoni attorney Bryan… pic.twitter.com/0xpeJpdaid

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) February 11, 2026

Both actors left the building around 4 p.m. Eastern, with no agreement in hand. A representative for Lively did not respond to a request for comment, at least not by Wednesday evening.

In a detail that feels ripped from a costume designer’s mood board, both arrived in nearly matching olive green looks: Lively in a sharp suit, Baldoni in a trench coat in the same shade. He was accompanied by his wife, Emily; Lively attended without husband, Ryan Reynolds.

The conference was overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave and marked the first time the two had faced each other in court since the legal battle ignited in December 2024.

The Take

This is what happens when a workplace story doesn’t get resolved quietly at the HR level – it becomes a federal case with eight-figure numbers attached and your text messages potentially projected for a jury.

Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni, her co-star and director on the film adaptation of It Ends With Us, of sexual harassment and orchestrating or contributing to a smear campaign that she claims cost her at least $161 million in damages and lost income. Baldoni has denied the allegations and is trying to get the case thrown out.

So when his lawyer emerges from court essentially saying, “No deal, see you at trial,” that’s not just legal posture. That’s a line in the sand. And given the #MeToo era scars this town still carries, a high-profile he-said/she-said at this level is exactly what studios and publicists dread.

What makes this even thornier is the way it collides with their onscreen story. These two played love interests in a movie about domestic violence and toxic power dynamics. Now the alleged toxicity is part of the off-screen script, with real-world stakes and a federal judge instead of a director yelling cut.

Then there’s the expanding cast. Recently unsealed documents in the case reportedly pulled in big-name figures like Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and Johnny Depp – not as defendants, but as people whose names or communications surfaced on the periphery. When your lawsuit reads like the guest list at the Golden Globes, you’re not just fighting a legal case; you’re fighting a PR war.

Bottom line: this is shaping up less like a quiet settlement drama and more like the prestige-TV courtroom season nobody in that ensemble actually wants to star in.

Receipts

Confirmed:

• A settlement conference between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took place on Wednesday at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave, according to public court scheduling notices and on-site reporting.
• Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told reporters that attempts to reach a pretrial settlement were “unsuccessful” and said he is “looking forward to” the May 18 trial date.
• Lively has filed a federal complaint accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation and is seeking at least $161 million in alleged damages and lost income, according to her civil court filings as summarized in public reporting.
• Baldoni has denied Lively’s allegations and filed a motion in November 2025 seeking to dismiss her lawsuit; that motion has not yet been ruled on, per the federal docket descriptions reported in coverage of the case.
• Recently unsealed documents in the case reference or involve additional celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and Johnny Depp, in peripheral ways, according to descriptions in those unsealed materials reported by outlets covering the proceedings.

Unverified / Still in dispute:

• The truth and legal outcome of Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims against Baldoni. These remain allegations until and unless a court or jury rules, or the parties reach a settlement.
• The precise nature and impact of any alleged “smear campaign” against Lively; her side says it devastated her earning power, while Baldoni’s side disputes liability.
• Whether settlement talks will resume before May 18, Baldoni’s lawyer allowed that “there’s always a chance,” but there is no confirmed plan for further negotiations.

Backstory (For the Casual Reader)

For anyone who hasn’t been tracking this from the first whisper: Blake Lively, best known from Gossip Girl and a long list of films, starred opposite actor-director Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us, a drama centered on domestic abuse and complicated romance. In late 2024, rumors about tension between the co-stars surfaced when they appeared separately at promotional events. Shortly afterward, Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint in federal court and, in early 2025, a full lawsuit for harassment and retaliation, claiming Baldoni helped fuel a damaging smear campaign against her around the film’s release. Baldoni has firmly denied wrongdoing and moved to have the case dismissed. As of now, with settlement talks stalling and a May 18 trial date on the calendar, this Hollywood dispute is poised to leave the soundstage and play out in a real courtroom – with careers, reputations, and a lot of money on the line.

What do you think: should high-profile cases like this push all the way to a public trial for the sake of transparency, or is a confidential settlement still the better path when careers and very personal accusations are involved?

Sources: This piece is based on federal court scheduling information and filings as described in public reporting; on-the-record comments by Justin Baldoni’s attorney outside the Manhattan courthouse on Feb. 11, 2026; and prior coverage of Blake Lively’s December 2024 complaint and Baldoni’s November 2025 dismissal motion.