Topic / Subject

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni left court without a settlement, and the dispute still looks like it is tracking toward trial. People reported that no deal was reached after six hours of mandated mediation, while Deadline separately reported the settlement talks had stalled. Reuters’ earlier case coverage added broader context around Baldoni’s dismissal push and the court fight already surrounding the lawsuit. 

TL;DR

Nobody folded, and that is the headline. After a long mediation session, the case still looks built for more public fighting before any real endgame arrives. 

Key Details

• People reported that no settlement deal was reached after six hours of mandated mediation. 

• People reported Baldoni’s lawyer said he believes the case will go to trial. 

• People also reported that settlement talks are expected to resume at an unannounced date. 

• Reuters previously reported Baldoni was seeking dismissal of Lively’s sexual-harassment lawsuit and noted the case was scheduled for a May 18, 2026 trial date. 

Breakdown

This is the kind of legal-drama update that sounds simple on the surface but says a lot underneath. Court-ordered settlement talks are one of the cleanest places for a case to cool down. If both sides leave without a deal after spending hours in mediation, it usually means the gap is still big, either on money, leverage, public-positioning, or all three. 

Per People, the two sides spent six hours in mandated mediation and came out with no settlement. Baldoni’s attorney then told reporters he believed the case would proceed to trial, which is about as clear a signal as you get that neither side was ready to blink in that room. 

The reason this still has so much heat is that it has already moved beyond a private legal disagreement. Reuters’ earlier case coverage noted Baldoni’s effort to dismiss Lively’s lawsuit and described the wider accusations around the production of It Ends With Us, which is why every procedural step now gets treated like a public drama chapter. 

And yet, the door is not fully closed. People reported that settlement talks are expected to resume later, which means “headed to trial” is the strongest read today, not a final guarantee. That is important because legal cases can look deadlocked right up until the moment they suddenly are not. 

How Credible Is This?

Very credible as a procedural update. People had direct, specific reporting from the mediation day, and Reuters already established the broader court context around the case. The uncertain part is not whether talks failed that day. The uncertain part is whether this failure actually holds for good. 

Reality Check

This case is already far enough along that “no settlement today” matters. With a reported May 18, 2026 trial date in Reuters’ case context, every failed mediation session increases the sense that both sides are preparing for a much uglier public stretch. 

Does It Make Sense?

Yes, unfortunately. Once a legal fight becomes this public and this personal, a clean, quiet resolution gets harder. Both sides may believe they still have strategic reasons to hold their ground, which is why the lack of a deal is dramatic but not shocking. 

What to Watch Next

• Whether another mediation date gets set

• Any new court filings that sharpen the trial path

• Whether either side changes tone publicly

• More clarity on what claims will actually be in play if the case reaches trial

Sources

People — Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says no settlement deal reached after court day with Blake Lively, believes will proceed to trial

Deadline — No deal as Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni settlement talks stall

Reuters — Justin Baldoni to seek dismissal of Blake Lively’s lawsuit

Comment

Do you think this still settles quietly later, or are both sides too dug in now?