Justin Baldoni's attorney claimed that Blake Lively settled her bitter legal feud with the director because she was too 'scared' to testify at trial.

Lively, 38, and Baldoni, 42, reached a settlement in their nearly two-year long battle on Monday, though the actress is still pursuing him for legal fees and damages tied to his failed $400 million defamation suit against her.

The shock deal came just weeks before their scheduled May 18 trial, after a judge 'gutted' Lively's 2024 sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit by tossing out her key allegations last month. 

Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman said the 'real reason' for the settlement was Lively's reluctance to face cross-examination during trial.

The high-profile litigator claimed a trial would have 'exposed her lies' and pointed out that Lively 'ended up with nothing' following the settlement, in a statement to TMZ on Thursday.

Avoiding the Stand 

'Part of the reason Blake settled is because she was scared to take the witness stand at trial. She did not want to face cross examination by anyone because that would require her to tell the truth.'

'If she's doing this for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment and retaliation as she says, then why don't you take the stand at trial and prove it to the world?' he questioned.

'A trial would have exposed her lies and the entire smear she was talking about in her interviews that she did,' he went on.

Freedman alleged that Lively 'lied about telling Sony to destroy the dailies', in reference to her testimony that she did not ask anyone to get rid of raw footage from It Ends with Us, which was later disputed by an email from Sony executive Ange Giannetti.

'She lied that she never told Colleen Hoover to unfollow Justin Baldoni. In her deposition, Colleen said Blake asked her to unfollow him,' he said, referring to the author of the best-selling book It Ends With Us, which the film was based on. 

Freedman alleged that 'there were more lies.'

From $300 Million to Nothing 

He went on to say that Lively, who sued Baldoni for $300 million, 'ended up with nothing' in the settlement, adding, 'If this is a resounding victory, what does a defeat look like?'

In response to Freedman's comments Lively's legal team told TMZ, 'I guess he's no longer "ecstatic" about the settlement.' 

Last year, Lively's team confirmed she would testify, with her attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, stating, 'This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on set and the retaliation that followed. Of course she will testify' in a statement to CNN.

Lively and Baldoni's lawyers raked in eye-watering fees throughout their lengthy legal battle. 

Though the actress did not get a single dollar from Baldoni after settling her lawsuit against his film production company Wayfarer weeks before the case was set to go to trial, their attorneys fared much better.

The It Ends With Us co-stars reportedly spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another, according to Page Six.

War Not Over 

Baldoni was represented by high-profile legal eagle Freedman and seasoned trial attorney Ellyn Garofalo, while Lively's legal team consisted of top litigators Gottlieb and Hudson.

Though Lively and Baldoni's legal war may be over, they are still firing shots at each other.

The actress is still pursuing him for legal fees and damages related to his failed $400 million defamation case against her.

Baldoni had countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times in early 2025, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit last year.

Now Lively is demanding he pay the costs of her responding to his lawsuit in a move that could spark weeks of more fighting.

She is also demanding 'compensatory damages tripled, and punitive damages,' according to a court filing.

The document was filed at a New York court three days after Lively settled her own case against Baldoni.

In a joint statement announcing the settlement, neither side apologized but they acknowledged Lively's claims 'deserved to be heard.'

Lively's attorneys commented further on Thursday, in their own statement calling the agreement a 'resounding victory' for their client.

'By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms Lively.'

'And by admitting that Ms Lively's concerns "deserved to be heard" the defendants have ended once and for all the fiction that Ms Lively "fabricated" claims of sexual harassment and retaliation.'

The Mission Continues 

'From day one Blake Lively's mission was clear: expose and hold accountable those who weaponize smear campaigns and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors. That mission continues,' the statement concluded.

Gottlieb said the court should impose 'severe and mandatory penalties against any party who files unsuccessful retaliatory defamation actions against sexual harassment and retaliation complainants.'

He argued that Lively's allegations against Baldoni were legally protected because she made them with the California Civil Rights Department.

Judge Lewis Liman, who oversaw both cases, agreed with her and dismissed Baldoni's case in November last year on that basis.

Gottlieb wrote that California Civil Code Section 47.1, the applicable law, was designed to ensure that people who claim sexual harassment can 'share their experiences with courts, agencies, the press, and others without fear of suit.'

Gottlieb also asked to submit a five-page brief to the court explaining how they want the judge to award her the money, according to the court documents.

The law was passed in 2023 in response to the MeToo movement and is relatively untested in the courts.

The Settlement Paradox 

Meanwhile, Baldoni's lawyers say any attempt to make him cover Lively's costs for his own lawsuit would be 'draconian.'

They have said that he had a right to defend himself and that Lively is asking the judge to find that 'she is immune from any culpability for her wrongful acts.'

He urged Judge Liman to impose 'significant remedies' on Baldoni including treble damages and punitive damages.

While the full settlement has not yet been made public so far, one court document noted that both sides waived their right to appeal it.

A source in the Baldoni camp played down the request from Gottlieb, noting that Judge Liman was going to rule on it anyway.

In their own statement Thursday, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman said the settlement was a 'win and total victory' for their side.

'The court had already dismissed 10 of Ms Lively's 13 claims, including every sexual harassment claim, every defamation claim, and all claims against the individual defendants. Ms Lively voluntarily dismissed the rest,' he said.

'In our view, they settled because they knew they were going to lose in court. All that remains is a pending request for fees based on a very narrow issue that has been with the court since September 2025.'

Any legal fees could be in the tens of thousands of dollars rather than a significant sum, the source told the Daily Mail.

It Ends With ​Us starred Lively as flower shop owner Lily Bloom who marries neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni. The movie grossed more than $351 ​million worldwide. 

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