Attorney Bryan Freedman stated that he believes Lively is continuing to seek damages from his client because “I think it’s impossible for Ms. Lively to take responsibility for any part of her actions.”

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer reacts to Blake Lively declaring settlement ‘victory,’ calls payout demands ‘more nonsense’

Attorney Bryan Freedman stated that he believes Lively is continuing to seek damages from his client because “I think it's impossible for Ms. Lively to take responsibility for any part of her actions."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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May 8, 2026 11:28 a.m. ET

Justin Baldoni; Blake Lively. Credit:

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty; Mike Coppola/Getty

- Justin Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is addressing the latest updates in the *It Ends With Us* legal saga.

- The attorney called Blake Lively's ongoing damage motion against his client "more nonsense."

- He also says that no non-disclosure agreement was signed preventing either party from talking about the case in the future.

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer isn’t so sure that his client and Blake Lively reaching a settlement before going to trial counts as a “resounding victory” like her legal team recently claimed.

Attorney Bryan Freedman addressed the latest developments in the stars’ longstanding *It Ends With Us* legal saga in an *Entertainment Tonight* interview on Thursday, from Lively continuing to pursue damages from Baldoni and the other defendants to whether or not an NDA was signed as part of the settlement.

Lively’s lawyers announced yesterday that they are still seeking damages, attorneys’ fees, and other financial penalties against the defendants under a California law that protects individuals who sue for sexual misconduct from being hit with retaliatory defamation lawsuits by the accused, the *Los Angeles Times** *reports. They claim Baldoni violated that law when he filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively in January 2025.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in 'It Ends With Us'.

When asked about the ongoing lawsuit, Freedman described the legal action as a “pretty standard” procedural motion.

“I think they have their own interpretation of what they think is the law,” he said. “I think it's a procedural motion that's left in the case — it's pretty standard — but when you want to parade around and call a loss a victory, this is your attempt to do so. It seems like more nonsense from Ms. Lively.”

Justin Baldoni's lawyer addresses reports that no money was exchanged in Blake Lively settlement

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He also shared the reason why he believes Lively is continuing to seek a payout from his client.

“I think it's impossible for Ms. Lively to take responsibility for any part of her actions,” Freedman said. “And, you know, if one can't see themselves and one can't honestly, realistically, take a look at their part in things. It makes for a troubled existence.”

When asked if Baldoni would agree to pay Lively’s legal fees just to close the case once and for all, Freedman did not give a direct answer.  “I wouldn't want to reveal whatever my client's confidences are, but from day one we've been saying we would never settle this case,” he said. “And Justin's been saying we would never settle this case if it involved an allegation of sexual harassment.”

He continued, “True to our statements from the beginning of the case, Justin has fought this whole time really hard to make sure that he prevailed in any claim of sexual harassment and that's exactly what he did.”

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However, the attorney did note that he’s never had a case quite like this one before. “I've never seen anyone who's actually lost 10, 13 claims in a summary judgment motion and then go on social media and claim victory,” he said, referencing Lively’s legal team's statement. “I’ve never seen that before, so this is a first for me.”

Freedman explained that he believes the “worst part” for him and Baldoni is that the legal drama surrounding* It Ends With Us* has overshadowed the movie’s message about domestic violence.

“This was what the movie was supposed to be about. This was what was so important to people,” he emphasized. “This is what's getting lost in everything, and why Ms. Lively wouldn't stand up and say, ‘Hey, for the domestic violence survivors that we've made this movie for, I'm sorry. We wanna put an end to this because it's about you, not about us.’”

Freedman also said that no non-disclosure agreements were signed when it came to talking about the settlement and its contents moving forward. “There was absolutely no NDA signed,” he added. “And Justin and the rest of the parties, the rest of the defendants in the case, would never have signed an NDA and restricted their speech in the case.”

On May 4, Lively and Baldoni’s legal teams announced that they had settled the case, averting a high-profile trial between the stars.

"We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments,” the parties said in a joint statement. “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."

In the wake of the announcement, both legal teams have called the settlement a victory for their client. Watch Freedman discuss the latest updates in the clip above.

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