Actor Blake Lively and 'It Ends with Us' co-star Justin Baldoni settled their acrimonious years-long legal battle, avoiding a costly civil trial.
A joint statement provided to AFP said the parties had resolved their dispute - launched after Ms Lively accused Mr Baldoni of inappropriate on-set behaviour - without disclosing any settlement figure.
Ms Lively's initial complaint had said Mr Baldoni - who also directed the film - had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to.
It also said producer Jamey Heath had watched Ms Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. It further said Mr Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Ms Lively's reputation.
"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," Mr Baldoni and Ms Lively's attorneys said in a joint statement.
"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognise concerns raised by Ms Lively deserved to be heard. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace," the statement added.
Hours after the announcement that the case was settled, Ms Lively was all smiles as she unexpectedly appeared at the Met Gala in New York in a full ball gown that erupted in a cloud of pink, purple and yellow tulle.
Mr Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer had previously countersued Ms Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation - but a judge dismissed those claims last year.
Wayfarer previously insisted that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Ms Lively.
A judge dismissed some of Ms Lively's claims, but upheld her allegations of retaliation, which would have proceeded to trial on 18 May.
Based on a best-selling novel by the US writer Colleen Hoover, ‘It Ends with Us’ made more than $350 million (€299 million) at the box office in 2024, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.
