Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior on the set of It Ends With Us, and retaliation after she raised concerns about the alleged conduct. The dispute became one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles, involving competing lawsuits, public-relations allegations and a series of court rulings. The case was ultimately settled in May 2026, but the allegations and the court’s later decisions remain important to understanding what happened.
What Did Blake Lively Accuse Justin Baldoni Of?
Lively’s allegations centered on Baldoni’s conduct while they were working together on It Ends With Us, the 2024 film based on Colleen Hoover’s novel. Baldoni directed the movie and played Ryle Kincaid opposite Lively’s Lily Bloom.
In a complaint filed with California’s Civil Rights Department on December 20, 2024, Lively accused Baldoni and other members of the film’s production team of sexual harassment and other inappropriate conduct. She later filed a federal lawsuit in New York on December 31, 2024, expanding her claims to include retaliation, breach of contract, emotional-distress claims and false-light allegations.
Lively’s accusations were allegations rather than findings that Baldoni committed misconduct. Baldoni has consistently denied the accusations.
Lively’s Allegations About On-Set Conduct
According to Lively’s legal filings, she believed Baldoni crossed professional and personal boundaries during production.
One of the most widely reported allegations involved intimate scenes. Lively alleged that Baldoni engaged in behavior during kissing scenes that went beyond what she expected or had agreed to perform. Her complaint described an alleged improvised kissing sequence in which she said Baldoni bit and sucked her lower lip and repeatedly insisted on additional takes.
She also alleged that during a romance montage, Baldoni allegedly moved his lips down her neck in a manner she considered inappropriate and unrelated to the agreed performance.
Another major part of her complaint concerned changes or additions to intimate material. Lively alleged that Baldoni pushed for sexual content beyond what she understood had been approved, including material involving nudity and an on-camera orgasm. She also objected to alleged pressure surrounding a birthing scene and the question of how much of her body should be exposed.
These allegations became central to the public discussion because they raised questions about boundaries, consent and the role of intimacy coordination during film production.
Allegations About Sexual Conversations and Images
Lively also accused Baldoni and others associated with the production of creating an uncomfortable working environment through conversations and material she considered sexually inappropriate.
Her complaint alleged that Baldoni discussed his alleged history of pornography addiction with her and that other sexual topics were raised around her. She also objected to alleged discussions about sexual conquests and genitalia involving cast or crew members.
Another allegation involved nude images or videos. Lively said she requested that Baldoni and others stop showing nude videos or images of women in the workplace.
She also alleged that inappropriate comments were made about her appearance, including comments describing her as “sexy” or “hot.” Her legal filings portrayed these incidents collectively as part of what she characterized as a hostile and inappropriate work environment.
Lively’s List of Requested Workplace Boundaries
A significant detail in the dispute was a meeting involving Lively, Baldoni and others during production. Lively said she raised concerns and presented a list of boundaries intended to make the workplace safer and more professional.
Among the requested boundaries were restrictions on adding sexual material outside the agreed script, stopping discussions about pornography and sexual experiences, avoiding inappropriate comments about bodies and genitalia, and preventing the use of nude material in the workplace.
Lively also sought clearer boundaries around intimate scenes and the involvement of an intimacy coordinator.
The existence of the meeting and the broad nature of the requested protections became important parts of the later legal dispute because Lively argued that she had clearly communicated her concerns before the movie’s release.
Lively’s Retaliation Allegation
The second major part of Lively’s case was not simply what she said happened during filming. She also accused Baldoni and people connected with Wayfarer Studios of retaliating after she complained.
Lively alleged that a coordinated public-relations campaign was developed to damage her reputation and credibility. She characterized the effort as a smear campaign designed to portray her negatively after she raised concerns about the alleged workplace conduct.
Her complaint named several people and companies that she said were involved in public-relations activity connected to Baldoni and Wayfarer. The allegations included efforts to influence media coverage and online narratives about her.
Lively argued that the alleged retaliation was especially significant because it could discourage people from reporting workplace misconduct.
Why the Public-Relations Allegations Became So Important
The dispute expanded dramatically after the original harassment allegations became public.
Lively’s legal team argued that the alleged public-relations strategy was not an ordinary celebrity publicity dispute. They portrayed it as retaliation intended to undermine her after she complained about alleged sexual misconduct.
The opposing side disputed that characterization. Baldoni’s representatives denied that he sexually harassed Lively and rejected the idea that he orchestrated an unlawful smear campaign against her.
The conflict eventually produced two competing legal narratives: Lively said she had been subjected to inappropriate behavior and retaliation, while Baldoni and his representatives argued that Lively had attempted to control the production and damage Baldoni’s reputation.
What Justin Baldoni Said in Response
Baldoni has denied Lively’s accusations. His legal team described the allegations as false and disputed her characterization of the production.
Baldoni’s side also accused Lively of attempting to take creative control of the film and argued that the public controversy had been distorted.
In January 2025, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and other parties filed a separate lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others. That case included defamation allegations and claims that Lively and others had damaged Baldoni’s reputation.
That lawsuit was later dismissed by the federal court.
What the Federal Judge Decided About Lively’s Claims
The legal history is important because the accusations should not be confused with findings that Baldoni was legally responsible for sexual harassment.
On April 2, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims in the federal case, including her sexual-harassment claims against Baldoni. The ruling narrowed the case substantially.
The remaining claims were centered primarily on alleged retaliation and related issues involving Wayfarer Studios.
The dismissal did not establish that the alleged events described by Lively never happened. Rather, it was a decision about whether particular legal claims could proceed under the applicable law and pleadings.
That distinction is important when describing what Lively accused Baldoni of. The allegations came from Lively’s complaints and court filings; they were not a judicial finding that Baldoni committed sexual harassment.
The Lawsuits Were Settled in 2026
In May 2026, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement in their legal dispute connected to It Ends With Us. The settlement prevented the litigation from proceeding to the anticipated trial.
The parties’ lawyers characterized the outcome differently. Lively’s attorneys described the settlement as a significant victory, while Baldoni’s attorney also characterized the result as a victory for his side.
Because the settlement was confidential, the public record does not provide a complete account of every term. The settlement also means there was no trial verdict deciding the underlying harassment allegations.
The Latest Legal Development
The legal dispute continued to generate court activity even after the settlement.
On August 26, 2026, Judge Liman awarded Lively $407,451.75 in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs connected to her defense against Baldoni’s dismissed defamation lawsuit. The amount consisted of $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs.
Lively had sought more than $8 million, but the judge awarded only a fraction of the requested amount. The court found that the number of hours claimed by her lawyers was excessive and limited the award to expenses covered by the applicable California law.
The ruling is significant because it is among the latest major court developments in the dispute. It did not award Lively damages for the sexual-harassment allegations, nor did it create a finding that Baldoni was liable for those allegations.
So, What Exactly Did Blake Lively Accuse Justin Baldoni Of?
In simple terms, Lively accused Baldoni of several categories of conduct:
- Sexual harassment during filming, including alleged boundary violations during intimate scenes.
- Improvising or adding sexual behavior and content that she said went beyond what had been agreed upon.
- Inappropriate sexual conversations, including alleged discussions about pornography, sexual experiences and genitalia.
- Showing nude images or videos in a workplace setting, according to her complaint.
- Comments about her appearance and body that she considered inappropriate.
- Pressure involving nudity and intimate material during scenes in the film.
- Retaliation after she complained, including an alleged campaign intended to damage her public reputation.
- Failure to provide an appropriate workplace response, according to claims made against Baldoni and other Wayfarer-related defendants.
Baldoni denied the allegations and disputed Lively’s account of the production.
Why the Distinction Between Allegations and Court Findings Matters
The wording surrounding this case matters because the legal proceedings changed significantly over time.
Lively made serious allegations in late 2024. Her federal lawsuit initially contained multiple causes of action. In 2025, Baldoni and Wayfarer filed their own lawsuit against Lively and others, but the judge dismissed that case.
In 2026, Lively’s sexual-harassment claims against Baldoni were dismissed before trial. The parties later settled the broader dispute. As a result, there was no jury verdict determining whether Baldoni committed the alleged sexual harassment.
The latest fee ruling also should not be interpreted as a finding that the harassment allegations were proven. It concerned the recovery of certain legal expenses associated with Lively’s defense against Baldoni’s dismissed defamation action.
What the Dispute Means for the Legacy of It Ends With Us
The controversy surrounding It Ends With Us became almost as widely discussed as the movie itself. The film was commercially successful, but its release was followed by intense public debate about the relationship between its stars, workplace boundaries, publicity campaigns and the treatment of allegations of misconduct.
The dispute also drew attention to the importance of intimacy coordinators, clear contractual boundaries and professional procedures for handling concerns during the production of intimate scenes.
For Lively, the legal fight centered on her claim that she spoke up about conduct she considered inappropriate and was then subjected to retaliation. For Baldoni, the dispute centered on his denial of the accusations and his contention that he and his associates were unfairly portrayed.
Bottom Line
Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace conduct during the making of It Ends With Us, including alleged boundary violations during intimate scenes, unwanted sexual discussions and inappropriate sexual material. She also accused Baldoni and people associated with his production company of retaliating against her by attempting to damage her reputation after she raised concerns.
Baldoni denied the allegations. The federal court later dismissed Lively’s sexual-harassment claims, the competing defamation lawsuit against her was dismissed, and the broader dispute was settled in May 2026. The most recent major ruling, issued in August 2026, awarded Lively about $407,000 in legal fees and costs, far less than the amount she had requested.
Because the case ended without a trial verdict on the underlying harassment allegations, the most accurate way to describe the controversy is to distinguish carefully between Lively’s accusations, Baldoni’s denials and the court’s actual rulings.
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