"Mission Continues." Blake Lively Files New Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively continues her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. According to the actress's lawyers, TMZ reports that she has already filed a new lawsuit against the director, despite Lively announcing on Monday, May 4, that they had reached a settlement in the case, which, among other things, alleged sexual harassment.
Blake's lawyers explained that Baldoni's settlement left the actress the right to sue him for damages after Justin lost the defamation lawsuit. Lively is now seeking attorneys' fees, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. Baldoni, however, waived his right to appeal the lawsuit.
The actress's lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, stated: "This settlement is a decisive victory for Blake Lively. By agreeing to it, Justin Baldoni now bears personal responsibility for his abuse of power to silence and intimidate Lively. The defendant now puts to rest, once and for all, any fiction that Lively 'fabricated' the sexual harassment allegations out of revenge."
Blake's defense team added that, despite online criticism, she has not given up on the case against Baldoni: "From day one, Blake Lively's mission has been clear: to expose and hold accountable those who use smear campaigns and counter-lawsuits to intimidate victims. That mission continues."
As a reminder, the trial between the co-stars of the film "It Will End with Us" began in December 2024. At the time, the actress accused Baldoni, who also served as the film's director, of harassment and emotional pressure on the set.
On May 4, it was announced that Lively and Baldoni had reached a settlement two weeks before the final hearing. Prior to that, the court had dismissed ten of Lively's 13 counts (including harassment). After that, Lively could only accuse her colleague of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation.
Netizens immediately assumed Lively, terrified of a public lawsuit that could ruin her career, had decided to end the affair without receiving any compensation from Baldoni. The scandalous lawsuit between former colleagues, which included the publication of Lively's emails, seriously damaged the actress's reputation. Online, she was accused of toxicity, racism, harassment, and deception.
Photo: blakelively, justinbaldoni/Instagram*still from the film "It Ends with Us"/Warner Bros*
