Shortly after It Ends With Us hit theaters, the book to screen adaptation (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) became synonymous with behind the scenes drama. Blake Lively's complaint against Justin Baldoni started a years-long legal battle, one that only just got resolved. And while Lively and Baldoni released a joint statement announcing they'd reached a settlement, the latter's lawyer explained why "he won the case" in the end. Let's break it all down.
The Gossip Girl star made some serious allegations against Justin Baldoni, who both directed and starred in It Ends With Us. He fired back with a defamation case, and years of litigation followed. Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman spoke with TMZ, where he explained why his client was the victor in the case. In the attorney's words:
Let’s put it this way: Justin Baldoni didn’t settle the case, technically, if you think about it. Justin Baldoni won the case on summary judgement. He was accused of sexual harassment. Those were claims that you can not settle, you have to go all the way or his career is over.
The stakes were certainly high for this case, including the reported $60 million that the two actors paid their lawyers combined. But things were especially precarious for Justin Baldoni, who was accused of sexual harassment and more by Lively. Although things drastically changed when the judge tossed out the majority of Lively's claims back in April. Per Freedman, that was the first major "victory" that was handed to the director/actor.
Countless headlines followed It Ends With Us as this legal saga played out, with a number of other celebrities being roped into the drama such as Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds. All eyes were on how things would shake out in court, but ultimately Lively and Baldoni reached an agreement. In the same interview, Freedman further highlighted his client's apparent victory, saying:
So you want to talk about ‘Is this a victory or not?’ It’s a huge victory. It was a huge victory after the summary judgement ruling.
This messaging stands in juxtaposition to the joint statement issued by Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, which announced that their legal battle had finally reached its conclusion. Part of it reads:
We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.
This was a carefully worded statement, one that acknowledges Blake Lively's feelings without putting any blame on Justin Baldoni. The It Ends With Us drama has finally ended, and it should be fascinating to see where both individual's careers go from here.
It Ends With Us is streaming over on Netflix, and Blake Lively is attached to a number of upcoming projects. As for Justin Baldoni, only time will tell what type of work he gets now that the brouhaha is in the rear view.
