India, May 6 -- American actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their acrimonious legal battle weeks before the case was set to go to trial over allegations of sexual harassment and defamation. The out-of-court settlement ended the dispute over the troubled production of It Ends With Us (2024) and allowed both sides to avoid a trial that could have brought more "image-damaging revelations". The trial had been scheduled for May 18. Hours after the settlement was reported, Lively made a surprise appearance at the 2026 Met Gala in New York, marking her return to the event after co-chairing it in 2022. The legal proceedings began in 2024, after Lively accused Baldoni, her co-star and director, of sexual harassment on set and alleged that he and his team had tried to damage her reputation after she raised concerns. She also accused him of retaliation by using PR to damage her reputation during the film's press tour. Baldoni had denied the allegations and countersued, alleging defamation and extortion. A federal judge later dismissed some claims from both sides, including Baldoni's defamation and extortion suit. In a joint statement issued through their lawyers, the two sides said: "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."htc...