A couple of weeks before their trial in May, Blake Energetic and Justin Baldoni announced that they’d settled their legal battle, but questions proceed to be raised over who walked out of the situation with essentially the most losses.
With earlier reports suggesting the “Gossip Girl” star has been sidelined from several Hollywood circles, sources have now shared that she’s trying to rebuild her profession.
Blake Energetic also recently scored a legal win over Justin Baldoni as a judge ordered him to pay her legal fees referring to his 2025 defamation lawsuit.
Energetic and Baldoni’s partnership on “It Ends with Us” was presupposed to be a celebration of a box-office hit, but was marred by their nasty court battle.
The actress filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him, accusing him of improvising kissing scenes, making comments about her body, and speaking openly about his porn addiction.
Nevertheless, he denied it and filed a counter lawsuit against her, accusing her of extortion and defamation, however the case was later dismissed by a judge.
Each parties went on and on for nearly two years, making different allegations in greater than 1400 court filings. They were scheduled to start trial in May 2026, but 2 weeks before then, they announced that they’d reached a settlement within the case.
The Actress Is ‘Rebuilding Her Profession,’ While Justin Baldoni Is Focused On His ‘Family And Living In The Moment’
The legal battle between Energetic and Baldoni appears to be a stalemate with no clear victor, but experts argue that each parties have sustained severe damage to their public images and careers.
Based on Us Weekly, the previous co-stars now face the daunting task of picking up the pieces of their respective careers and moving on with their lives.
A source told the news outlet that Energetic is trying to rebuild her profession and is confident she will achieve that.
“Blake is targeted on rebuilding her profession,” the insider said. “She’s confident she will come back from this.”
The revelation comes after rumors emerged suggesting nobody desires to work along with her again following her explosive lawsuit along with her former co-star.
Meanwhile, Baldoni appears to be more focused on his family and could be taking time away from Hollywood to spend time with them.
“Justin’s focus is on his family and living within the moment,” a second source said. “He desires to get back to some sense of normalcy for them.”
Baldoni and his wife Emily share daughter Maiya and son Maxwell together, while Energetic is the mother to daughters James, Inez, and Betty, and son Olin, whom she shares with husband Ryan Reynolds.
Blake Energetic Faces An Uphill Task When It Comes To Fixing Her ‘Tarnished’ Image, PR Expert Reveals
One thing is of course, though, each stars took successful to their fame. At the peak of their legal battle, web users trolled Energetic and accused her for being a “mean girl,” especially after Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa shared an old clip of their awkward interaction in an interview.
Then again, Baldoni’s sensitive “Man Enough” podcast host persona, where he often spoke up for girls, took an enormous hit and was not only dropped by his talent agency but additionally had an award rescinded.
Weighing in on their possibilities of getting back from the fallout, PR experts explained that it’s going to be a particularly difficult task for each parties.
“Neither side emerged as an overall winner,” David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision PR Group, said. “But Blake suffered essentially the most because people viewed her as humorous, family-oriented, and approachable, and the lawsuit tarnished that image.”
PR Experts Say Blake Energetic And Justin Baldoni Need To Let Their Work Do The Talking From Now On
Speaking more concerning the former co-stars’ “tarnished” brands, Johnson explained that recovery for Baldoni depends upon three aspects, which include “the absence of latest controversies, continued skilled achievement, and time.”
One other PR expert told Us Weekly that Mark Borkowski also noted it’s best if Energetic lets her work do the talking, moderately than being all over the place.
“[She should be] undeniable within the work and boring all over the place else. Boring is essentially the most underrated crisis strategy within the business,” Borkowski said.
For Baldoni, he explained, “Justin’s only route back [is to] make something good and [be quiet] for 2 years.”
Justin Baldoni Was Ordered To Cover Blake Energetic’s Legal Costs
Meanwhile, the “One other Easy Favor” actress scored a legal win over Baldoni as Judge Lewis Liman ordered him to cover her attorney’s costs referring to his 2025 defamation lawsuit.
The ruling was made in reference to a California law that was created to guard sexual harassment victims from retaliatory defamation claims.
Nevertheless, the judge denied her request for triple damages and punitive damages, stating that those remedies are usually not available under federal law.
“The Court concludes that, on this record, the Wayfarer Parties have did not carry their burden of demonstrating that the Section 47.1 privilege doesn’t apply, and Energetic is subsequently entitled to fees and costs,” the judge wrote in court documents before adding that “Energetic’s request for damages should be denied” on procedural grounds.