2024 had plenty of big movies, but few have had the unique life of It Ends With Us. The book to movie adaptation (which is streaming now with a Netflix subscription) did quite well, but there's plenty of behind the scenes dram associated with the project. Aside from Blake Lively getting backlash over how she interacts with journalist, the actress/producer is currently suing the production team over sexual harassment and more. So what's next in the Lively lawsuit? What a litigator says about the Civil Rights Department and more.
Lively's lawsuit has inspired another suit related to director/actor Justin Baldoni, but the public is perhaps most invested in what's happening with the Gossip Girl icon. Lawyer Ron Zambrano spoke to Us Magazine about what to expect from the ongoing litigation. He confirmed the Civil Rights Department will likely get involved offering "the CDR evaluates whether to do follow up fact gathering, require a mediation, or escalate matters to file on Lively’s behalf." That being said, he doesn't think the latter will happen since Lively has her own lawyers.
Zambrano explains that Lively might have to wait a full year after filing a civil complaint. Still, he thinks that she's got a case for the economic damages related to promoting It Ends With Us. In his words:
The [economic damages] is calculable. For example, Ms. Lively canceled a critical Target corporate event for her hair care company [Blake Brown Beauty], and she backed out of her scheduled role to host the premier episode of the 50th anniversary season of Saturday Night Live in September 2024.
It's currently unclear how much in damages Lively is requesting, but Ron Zambrano seems to think that her team can easily calculate a sum. Of course, whether or not she actually gets that payday remains to be seen. What's more, her team will likely point to lowered numbers of her cosmetics like as a result of the alleged smear campaign against Lively.
The question of money involved in Lively's lawsuit also extends away from professional restitution, and also extends to the emotional distress she felt during the time of the smear campaign. Zambrano also addressed this mystery sum, saying:
The latter is a number that is ‘told’ to us by Lively’s team is the value of her emotional distress or other human harm. It’s an art, not a science. What’s asked for in a complaint is not necessarily what is asked of a jury to award. Monetary demands in civil cases (unless it’s a business dispute) isn’t very consequential in my view. Whether they actually settle is up to the parties. The requirement is only to participate in mediation. It’s always in the benefit of the defendant to resolve the case.
The stakes certainly feel high, especially with so many fans watching as things shake out. For her part, Lively has gotten support from a number of Hollywood A-listers. Of course, we'll have to see if those in court agree.
All of this drama seems to have made it very unlikely that It Ends With Us could get a sequel. Alternatively, a follow-up movie could be made without Baldoni's character ever appearing. After all, author Colleen Hoover has put her statement behind Blake Lively. We'll just have to see how it all shakes out.
It Ends With Us is streaming now on Netflix. Check out the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
