Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled a lawsuit brought by Lively over the filming ​of the 2024 romantic drama It Ends With Us, both sides said, averting a civil trial scheduled for May where both actors were expected to testify about Lively’s allegations of sexual misconduct by Baldoni.

The settlement, announced in a joint statement that did not disclose terms, ​ends more than a year of acrimonious litigation that drew intense publicity as ​details of Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s counterclaims trickled out in court filings. The statement said both sides hope the deal brings “closure”.

Lively, widely known for starring ​in the TV series Gossip Girl, sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in December ​2024, seeking damages for alleged harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws. She said the defendants created a sexually-charged atmosphere during the movie’s production, then mounted ​a smear campaign to silence her.

Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in It Ends With ​Us, countered that he quickly resolved Lively’s concerns and said he was entitled to hire a crisis management firm after Lively began disparaging him publicly.