Justin Baldoni’s Friend Adam Mondschein Details ‘Emotional Cost’ of Blake Lively Legal Battle for Family (Exclusive)

Justin Baldoni’s longtime friend Adam Mondschein is sharing a glimpse into the actor’s mindset after his It Ends With Us legal battle with Blake Lively was settled before trial.

“His sentiment, to me, is just relief as a friend, but also needing prayers and love and thoughts to weather the next stage,” Mondschein, 50, exclusively shared with Us Weekly on Thursday, May 7. “The relief is there. The support is beautiful — from the community, from the strangers, from the world.”

Mondschein said his friend was “literally recovering from a cold” this week before adding, “It’s the emotional taxing on the family. It’s the emotional tax of all of this. I think it’s been overwhelming.”

News broke on Monday, May 4, that Lively, 38, and Baldoni, 42, had reached a settlement in their highly contentious It Ends With Us lawsuit, which began in December 2024.

“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,” lawyers for both parties said in a statement to Us. “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard.”

The statement continued, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”

While a settlement avoids a trial in New York City, Lively filed a notice of settlement on Thursday, in which she requested damages to cover her attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.

“I think they’re waiting to truly celebrate. But there’s just no question that this is a win,” Mondschein claimed to Us about the settlement. “I think they’re very relieved, and they’re excited for the day that the celebration can actually begin, but because it’s not truly over for them, I think we’re the ones that get to kind of, like, celebrate a little bit for them. … We’ll all be very glad when this is, I mean, no longer part of the general conversation.”