Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are making it clear—they have no interest in settling their ongoing legal battle outside of court. The two actors, who starred together in It Ends With Us, have been locked in a legal dispute since December 2024, and despite being offered the option to mediate, neither side is willing to back down.
If you haven’t been keeping up, the drama between the co-stars has been brewing for a while. Lively, 37, accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and claimed he orchestrated a smear campaign against her. The lawsuit followed months of speculation that the two had clashed on set. In response, Baldoni filed a countersuit of his own, escalating tensions even further.
Earlier this month, the two had their first court hearing, with a trial scheduled for early 2026. This week, they were given the opportunity to mediate and potentially reach a settlement, but both parties turned it down.
According to People, attorneys for both Lively and Baldoni stated that discussing a settlement at this stage was “inappropriate” and “premature.” In other words, neither side is willing to negotiate until they’ve had their full day in court.
The decision to refuse mediation comes shortly after Lively’s legal team subpoenaed cell carriers to gather more evidence, specifically text messages that could support her claims. While both actors have remained tight-lipped in public, their legal teams are actively preparing for what’s shaping up to be a long and intense courtroom battle.
As things stand, it doesn’t look like this dispute will be resolved anytime soon. With neither Lively nor Baldoni showing any signs of backing down, all eyes are on the next stage of the legal fight, which is expected to continue well into 2026.
