Arabic version: بليك لايفلي وجاستن بالدوين يعودان إلى المحكمة بشأن الرسوم القانونية

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni returned to court on Monday, following a settlement reached last month in their ongoing legal dispute. Lively’s legal team is now seeking legal fees and damages from Baldoni, her co-star in the film It Ends with Us, reigniting a years-long court battle. According to The Guardian, Lively’s attorneys argue that Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit was a retaliatory action, which is prohibited under California law.

Baldoni’s legal representatives have rejected these claims, maintaining that their actions were justified. The origins of this legal conflict date back to December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint alleging that Baldoni made inappropriate remarks regarding his sex life and attempted to modify the film to include unauthorized sex scenes.

In her complaint, Lively asserted that Baldoni orchestrated a public relations campaign aimed at damaging her reputation. Baldoni, along with his production company, Wayfarer Studios, countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, alleging extortion and defamation, although those claims were dismissed by a judge last year.

The federal judge overseeing the case, Lewis Liman, dismissed some of Lively’s accusations but upheld her claims of retaliation. Specific details regarding the settlement and the amount Lively is seeking have not been made public. It Ends with Us, based on a bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, grossed over $350 million at the box office in 2024, marking it as one of the year’s major successes.