It’s been a year and a half since rumors began to swirl about drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, and it’s been a little over a year since the actress filed a complaint that began this ongoing legal battle. Now, their trial is approaching, and legal experts are weighing in about whether a settlement is possible before they get to the courtroom.
On February 11, Baldoni and Lively appeared in federal court for court-ordered mediation. According to the actor/director’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, it was “unsuccessful,” and no deals were reached. However, he did note that there’s “always a chance” for a settlement. Now, legal experts have spoken to People about that possibility, with trial attorney at Parker & McConkie, Brian C. Stewart, saying:
With a trial scheduled to begin on May 18, the parties and the court will move into final pretrial preparations, deciding on witness lists, exhibit lists and arguing about what evidence the jury will be allowed to hear.
Now, while this lawyer explained that the two sides will likely be preparing for a trial, a settlement is not out of the question. He explained that further by noting that it could very well happen while the camps simultaneously prepare for court:
A settlement can still happen, right up to and even during trial, but both sides will want to prepare as if trial is inevitable. Both sides will do their best to look like they are confident and ready to convince the jury.
According to Steven Jensen, another trial attorney at Parker & McConkie, it’s totally normal for settlement talks to “continue informally all the way up until the eve of trial.” He also noted that a lot of work will be put in by both sides as they prepare for that May 18 date. However, that does not necessarily mean settlement is off the table. He said:
Each side will resume discovery and begin preparing pre-trial motions, which set the stage for permissible evidence at trial. Additionally, each side will need to map out a plan for trial – witnesses to call, cross-examinations of defense witnesses, exhibits to use, jury consulting and questionnaires, opening and closing arguments, and other preparations. Many cases do settle before trial despite multiple failed attempts at settlement. There is still a likelihood the parties settle the case before trial.
The report notes that settlement talks are expected to resume. However, it also explains that Judge Lewis J. Liman’s decision on summary judgment could play a part in all this. Lawyer Greg Doll explained that the judge could be “holding in abeyance” until the settlement conference is over to “increase the chance of settlement based on the parties’ uncertainty about how he intends to rule.”
So, as the situation develops and settlement talks potentially continue, we’ll keep you posted.
All of this notably comes not long after documents were unsealed that revealed lots of text messages from famous folks, like Jenny Slate, who was in It Ends With Us, as well as claims that involved people like Hugh Jackman and Taylor Swift.
Along with that, it's been noted that Lively believes she's lost hundreds of millions because of this, while others have made claims about the legal fees that are being racked up. Experts have also weighed in on how the two actors’ reputations are being impacted by all this, and the longer it goes on, the longer this discourse will continue.
So, will they ever reach a settlement? The answer is unclear right now; however, even though it's been unsuccessful so far, these legal experts claim that it is by no means out of the question.
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