[proofplan]
Subtract the two evolution equations and study the difference $w=u_1-u_2$, which satisfies the same parabolic equation with forcing $g=f_1-f_2$ and initial value $w_0=u_{1,0}-u_{2,0}$. The Hilbert-triple time-regularity identity for functions in $L^2(0,T;V)$ with derivative in $L^2(0,T;V^*)$ converts the equation into a differential inequality for $\|w(t)\|_H^2$. Coercivity controls the $V$-norm of $w$, while an explicit algebraic square estimate absorbs the forcing term into the coercive term. The [Gronwall Inequality](/theorems/872) then bounds the $H$-norm uniformly in time, and reinserting this bound gives the integral $V$-norm estimate.
[/proofplan]
[step:Subtract the two equations and define the difference variables]
Let $\mathcal{L}^1$ denote one-dimensional [Lebesgue measure](/page/Lebesgue%20Measure) on $\mathbb{R}$.
Let $M\geq 0$, $\alpha>0$, and $\beta\geq 0$ denote the constants from the boundedness and Gårding coercivity hypotheses in the statement. The measurability of $t\mapsto a(t;v,z)$ for each fixed $v,z\in V$ belongs to the ambient parabolic well-posedness framework. The stability estimate below does not use measurability directly after the two evolution identities have been assumed; it uses only the a.e. set on which those identities and the coercivity inequality hold. The boundedness hypothesis justifies the operator definition: for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$ and every $v\in V$, the functional $\mathcal A(t)v:V\to\mathbb R$ satisfies
\begin{align*}
|\mathcal A(t)v(z)|\leq M\|v\|_V\|z\|_V
\end{align*}
for all $z\in V$, so $\mathcal A(t)v\in V^*$ and $\|\mathcal A(t)v\|_{V^*}\leq M\|v\|_V$. The estimate below then uses only the difference equation, Gårding coercivity, and the energy identity.
Define the map $w:(0,T)\to V$ by $w(t):=u_1(t)-u_2(t)$ for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$; then $w\in L^2(0,T;V)$. Define the map $g:(0,T)\to V^*$ by $g(t):=f_1(t)-f_2(t)$ for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$; then $g\in L^2(0,T;V^*)$. Also set
\begin{align*}
w_0:=u_{1,0}-u_{2,0}\in H.
\end{align*}
Since distributional differentiation is linear,
\begin{align*}
w'=u_1'-u_2'\in L^2(0,T;V^*).
\end{align*}
Subtracting the two identities in $V^*$ gives, for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$,
\begin{align*}
w'(t)+\mathcal{A}(t)w(t)=g(t).
\end{align*}
The continuous representatives satisfy $w\in C([0,T];H)$ and $w(0)=w_0$ in $H$.
[/step]
[step:Test the difference equation against the solution difference]
Write $\langle \ell,v\rangle_{V^*,V}:=\ell(v)$ for the duality pairing between $V^*$ and $V$. We use the standard Hilbert-triple time-regularity identity: if a function belongs to $L^2(0,T;V)$ and its [distributional derivative](/page/Distributional%20Derivative) belongs to $L^2(0,T;V^*)$, then its representative in $C([0,T];H)$ has absolutely continuous squared $H$-norm and satisfies the derivative formula below. Since $w\in L^2(0,T;V)$ and $w'\in L^2(0,T;V^*)$, the map $y:[0,T]\to[0,\infty)$ defined by $y(t):=\|w(t)\|_H^2$ is absolutely continuous and, for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$,
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}y'(t)=\langle w'(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}.
\end{align*}
Testing the equation $w'(t)+\mathcal{A}(t)w(t)=g(t)$ against $w(t)\in V$ gives
\begin{align*}
\langle w'(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}+a(t;w(t),w(t))=\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}.
\end{align*}
Using the Gårding coercivity hypothesis with $v=w(t)$,
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}y'(t)+\alpha\|w(t)\|_V^2\leq \beta\|w(t)\|_H^2+\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}.
\end{align*}
[guided]
The goal is to turn the equation in $V^*$ into a scalar inequality. Write $\langle \ell,v\rangle_{V^*,V}:=\ell(v)$ for the duality pairing between $V^*$ and $V$. Since $w'(t)$, $\mathcal A(t)w(t)$, and $g(t)$ are elements of $V^*$ for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$, the natural test object is $w(t)\in V$. Thus, for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$,
\begin{align*}
\langle w'(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}+\langle \mathcal A(t)w(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}=\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}.
\end{align*}
By the definition of $\mathcal A(t)$, the second term is
\begin{align*}
\langle \mathcal A(t)w(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}=a(t;w(t),w(t)).
\end{align*}
The Hilbert-triple time-regularity identity applies because $w\in L^2(0,T;V)$ and $w'\in L^2(0,T;V^*)$. Its conclusion is that $t\mapsto \|w(t)\|_H^2$ is absolutely continuous and
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}\frac{d}{dt}\|w(t)\|_H^2=\langle w'(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}
\end{align*}
for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$. Therefore the tested equation becomes
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}\frac{d}{dt}\|w(t)\|_H^2+a(t;w(t),w(t))=\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}.
\end{align*}
Now we use the Gårding coercivity assumption with $v=w(t)$. For a.e. $t\in(0,T)$,
\begin{align*}
a(t;w(t),w(t))\geq \alpha\|w(t)\|_V^2-\beta\|w(t)\|_H^2.
\end{align*}
Substituting this lower bound into the previous identity yields
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}\frac{d}{dt}\|w(t)\|_H^2+\alpha\|w(t)\|_V^2\leq \beta\|w(t)\|_H^2+\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}.
\end{align*}
This is the fundamental energy inequality: the coercive part gives the useful $V$-norm term, while the lower-order loss is the term $\beta\|w(t)\|_H^2$ that will be controlled by the scalar integral estimate below.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Estimate the forcing term and absorb half of the coercive norm]
For a.e. $t\in(0,T)$, the dual norm gives
\begin{align*}
\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}\leq |\langle g(t),w(t)\rangle_{V^*,V}|\leq \|g(t)\|_{V^*}\|w(t)\|_V.
\end{align*}
The needed algebraic absorption estimate with parameter $\alpha>0$ follows from the following displayed square estimate:
\begin{align*}
0\leq \left(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\alpha}}\|g(t)\|_{V^*}-\sqrt{\frac{\alpha}{2}}\|w(t)\|_V\right)^2.
\end{align*}
Expanding this non-negative square and rearranging gives
\begin{align*}
\|g(t)\|_{V^*}\|w(t)\|_V\leq \frac{1}{2\alpha}\|g(t)\|_{V^*}^2+\frac{\alpha}{2}\|w(t)\|_V^2.
\end{align*}
Hence, for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$,
\begin{align*}
\frac{1}{2}y'(t)+\frac{\alpha}{2}\|w(t)\|_V^2\leq \beta y(t)+\frac{1}{2\alpha}\|g(t)\|_{V^*}^2.
\end{align*}
Multiplying by $2$ gives
\begin{align*}
y'(t)+\alpha\|w(t)\|_V^2\leq 2\beta y(t)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g(t)\|_{V^*}^2.
\end{align*}
[/step]
[step:Use a scalar comparison argument to control the $H$-norm uniformly in time]
Integrating the preceding differential inequality over $(0,t)$ with respect to $\mathcal{L}^1$ gives, for each $t\in[0,T]$,
\begin{align*}
y(t)+\alpha\int_0^t\|w(s)\|_V^2\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s)
\leq y(0)+2\beta\int_0^t y(s)\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\int_0^t\|g(s)\|_{V^*}^2\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s).
\end{align*}
Discarding the non-negative integral term on the left gives
\begin{align*}
y(t)\leq y(0)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2+2\beta\int_0^t y(s)\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s).
\end{align*}
Define the finite constant
\begin{align*}
A:=y(0)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2.
\end{align*}
The finiteness follows from $w_0\in H$ and $g\in L^2(0,T;V^*)$. This is the scalar integral inequality handled by the [Gronwall Inequality](/theorems/872); for completeness we prove the comparison directly. Define $h:[0,T]\to[0,\infty)$ by
\begin{align*}
h(t):=A+2\beta\int_0^t y(s)\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s).
\end{align*}
Then $y(t)\leq h(t)$ and $h'(t)=2\beta y(t)\leq 2\beta h(t)$ for a.e. $t\in(0,T)$. Hence $t\mapsto e^{-2\beta t}h(t)$ is non-increasing on $[0,T]$, so $h(t)\leq e^{2\beta t}h(0)=e^{2\beta t}A$. Therefore
\begin{align*}
y(t)\leq e^{2\beta t}\left(y(0)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2\right)
\end{align*}
for every $t\in[0,T]$. Therefore
\begin{align*}
\sup_{0\leq t\leq T}\|w(t)\|_H^2
\leq e^{2\beta T}\left(\|w_0\|_H^2+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2\right).
\end{align*}
[/step]
[step:Recover the integral $V$-norm estimate and combine the bounds]
Return to the integrated energy inequality with $t=T$:
\begin{align*}
y(T)+\alpha\int_0^{\mathsf T}\|w(s)\|_V^2\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s)
\leq y(0)+2\beta\int_0^{\mathsf T} y(s)\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2.
\end{align*}
Since $y(T)\geq 0$ and
\begin{align*}
\int_0^{\mathsf T} y(s)\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s)\leq T\sup_{0\leq s\leq T}y(s),
\end{align*}
we obtain
\begin{align*}
\alpha\int_0^{\mathsf T}\|w(s)\|_V^2\,d\mathcal{L}^1(s)
\leq \|w_0\|_H^2+2\beta T e^{2\beta T}\left(\|w_0\|_H^2+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2\right)+\frac{1}{\alpha}\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2.
\end{align*}
Combining this estimate with the uniform $H$-norm estimate, there is a constant
\begin{align*}
C=C(\alpha,\beta,T)>0
\end{align*}
such that
\begin{align*}
\sup_{0\leq t\leq T}\|w(t)\|_H^2+\int_0^{\mathsf T}\|w(t)\|_V^2\,d\mathcal{L}^1(t)
\leq C\left(\|w_0\|_H^2+\|g\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2\right).
\end{align*}
Substituting $w=u_1-u_2$, $w_0=u_{1,0}-u_{2,0}$, and $g=f_1-f_2$ gives
\begin{align*}
\sup_{0\leq t\leq T}\|u_1(t)-u_2(t)\|_H^2+\int_0^{\mathsf T}\|u_1(t)-u_2(t)\|_V^2\,d\mathcal{L}^1(t)
\leq C\left(\|u_{1,0}-u_{2,0}\|_H^2+\|f_1-f_2\|_{L^2(0,T;V^*)}^2\right).
\end{align*}
This is the desired continuous dependence estimate.
[/step]