Blake Lively is paying tribute to her own mother, Elaine Lively, after she reached a surprise settlement in her legal battle against her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni.
“Happy Mother’s Day to the woman who chooses joy, every day, no matter what,” Lively, 38, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Sunday, May 10, over a photo of her mother. “The strength and defiance in that is something I’ll always appreciate, especially the older I get. She makes every day special for everyone around her. Especially her babies and grandbabies”
The Gossip Girl star continued, “She isn’t just beautiful, she creates beauty, with her hands, her stories, her playfulness, her creativity, her incredible ingenuity and her love. I’m so grateful, now and forever to have been shaped by your heart full of love, optimism and magic. You make the ordinary extraordinary. I love you. Thank you mama.”
Lively’s heartfelt post comes nearly one week after Lively reached a surprise settlement with Baldoni, 42, before trial was set to begin.
Lively had alleged that her It Ends With Us costar sexually harassed her, fostered a hostile work environment and orchestrated a smear campaign against her. Baldoni denied her claims, but his countersuit was dismissed in June 2025.
On Monday, May 4, the pair reached an out-of-court settlement in the case, avoiding trial altogether.
“The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind,” Lively and Baldoni said in a joint statement to Us via their attorneys at the time. “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard.”
The statement continued, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. 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.”
Rachael Bennett, a certified family law specialist and senior attorney at Sullivan Law & Associates, exclusively told Us Weekly that similar cases tend to settle so close to trial because “the risk of putting the outcome in a jury’s hands becomes too dangerous for at least one, and here, probably both sides.”
“I think the timing here matters,” she continued. “The settlement came right after the judge dismissed the majority of Blake Lively’s claims, including that headline-grabbing sexual harassment allegation. By the end, the case had been narrowed primarily to just her retaliation claims and those contract related claims.”
She adds, “That changes the leverage dramatically once those bigger emotional claims are gone. I think both sides may have decided that continuing into a highly public trial with massive legal fees and some potential reputational risk simply just wasn’t worth a gamble anymore.”
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