Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have ended their ‘It Ends With Us’ dispute in a settlement

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have agreed to end their legal battle over the acrimonious production of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us.”

The two sides settled their legal dispute Monday ahead of a planned trial over Lively’s claims that Baldoni conspired with publicists to preemptively destroy her reputation after she privately accused him of sexually harassing her on the movie set.

In a joint statement, the two sides said: “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind. … 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.”

Baldoni, who directed the film and starred in it with Lively, had denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He’d claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.

The settlement will allow both sides to avoid a trial that would have featured Hollywood’s ugliest side and potentially led to more image-damaging revelations.

Both actors had some of their legal claims tossed out by the judge in recent months.