The drama surrounding It Ends With Us (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) just keeps going. Despite Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settling and releasing a joint statement, the saga has continued. That's because while Baldoni's team claimed he won the case, Lively is still requesting damages to cover her legal costs and more. Let's break it all down.
Just last week, it was revealed that the two stars of It Ends With Us had settled their long legal battle, followed by Blake Lively attending the Met Gala. But their legal teams have still been hard at work, with the Gossip Girl star requesting money for damages from the case. Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman reacted in a video from ET, saying of her lawyers:
I think they have their own interpretation of what they think is the law. I think it’s a procedural motion that’s left in the case. It’s pretty standard. But when you want to parade around and call a loss a victory, this is your attempt to do so. It seems like more nonsense from Ms. Lively.
Well, he certainly didn't mince his words. Just when it looked like the drama between Lively and Baldoni had reached its conclusion, this request for damages has come in and reignited the saga. Per Us Weekly, her team claims she's entitled "reasonable attorney’s fees and costs for successfully defending [herself] in the litigation", as well as damages from Baldoni's defamation suit. So it looks like this situation is not quite over yet.
The It Ends With Us director's legal team seemingly isn't backing down, and has been issuing a number of statements about the case that have already gone viral. In the same interview, Freedman went on to react to Lively's request for damages, saying:
I think it’s impossible for Ms. Lively to take responsibility for any part of her actions. If one can’t see themselves, and one can’t honestly, realistically, look at their part in things, it makes for a troubled existence.
Ouch. Baldoni's lawyer clearly isn't having it, and seems to think the request for damages is an issue with the actress' character. The It Ends With Us stars have been clashing for years now, leading to tons of legal fees for both parties. Indeed, it was reported that Lively and Baldoni spent a combined $60 million, and it's likely for this reason that the Simple Favor star has tried to have some of those costs covered. We'll just have to wait and see how things ultimately shake out between the two actors and their legal teams.
It Ends With Us is streaming now on Netflix, so folks can re-watch where the saga started. Blake Lively is attached to a few upcoming projects but they won't arrive on the 2026 movie release list. As for Baldoni, nothing is listed on his IMDb.
