Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni meet to discuss settlement ahead of trial

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are sitting down together for the first time in over a year.

The It Ends With Us co-stars will meet with their attorneys for a court-ordered settlement conference on February 11 in New York City.

The conference will take place at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and will be overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave. These meetings are common in federal civil cases and are designed to see whether both sides can reach an agreement before trial.

The dispute began in December 2024 when Lively, 38, sued Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni, 42, denied the claims and filed a $400 million countersuit, which has since been dismissed. Lively has claimed she lost $161 million due to what she described as a retaliatory smear campaign. A trial is currently set for May 18.

Back in December, Judge Lewis J. Liman, who is presiding over the case, encouraged both parties to consider settlement.

Legal expert Gregory Doll previously told People magazine at the time that settlement talks at this stage are not unusual. “But many settlements occur right before trial. There is something about the looming trial date, and reality of what is about to happen, that makes parties reconsider their previous views about settlement,” Doll said.