Justin Baldoni Sued by Ex-Publicist Amid ‘It Ends With Us’ Debacle

If you’re getting whiplash from the It Ends With Us drama, you’re likely not alone. What seemingly began as a mere feud has turned into something much more serious after Blake Lively filed a complaint – a precursor to a lawsuit – against Justin Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios banner, and related parties, citing sexual harassment and a subsequent smear campaign to sully her name. So far, Lively has received a groundswell of support, while Baldoni has been met with considerable career damage, and it looks like more could be coming his way, as his ex-publicist has also decided to sue in connection with the alleged smear campaign.

Per The New York Times, Stephanie Jones, a former publicist for Baldoni, filed a lawsuit Tuesday which suggests that she was pushed out of representing the director-actor-producer and his studio banner when they became concerned that Lively might go public with her claims of Baldoni’s misconduct on set. Jones’ lawsuit, filed in New York, is citing breach of contract, and offers another look at the extent of Lively’s complaint.

Lively’s complaint includes incriminating text messages and e-mails that she received through a subpoena. In Jones’ lawsuit, it’s made known that those messages were obtained from a company phone issued by Jones’ publicity firm and used by Jennifer Abel, who worked for Jones. Abel’s name entered the chat in a big way when a message that she posted to a private PR group on Facebook went public yesterday. Abel admitted that she and Baldoni’s crisis PR team had fun watching Lively’s name get dragged on the internet, while Baldoni was praised for promoting the film’s more serious domestic violence themes. Abel also went on to say that a smear campaign never occurred because the internet was doing their job for them. Abel’s name was also featured in Lively’s complaint as one of the parties responsible for coordinating the smear campaign.

The New Lawsuit Alleges Shady Practices From Justin Baldoni and His Team

The plot thickens more regarding Abel, who was fired by Jones once she caught wind that Abel was stealing documents from Jones’ firm while preparing to start her own business. As previously reported, Abel worked with Jones’ Jonesworks, and she was Baldoni and Wayfarer’s main point of contact as the It Ends With Us drama began brewing over the summer. Another familiar name is Melissa Nathan, the crisis communication manager that Baldoni and his company hired when feud rumors started heating up. Abel worked very closely with Nathan.

After Abel was fired, the company phone was returned to Jonesworks “in the presence of an employment lawyer,” and messages from the phone were forensically extracted and, importantly, not manipulated. After reviewing the messages, Jones saw what she believed was a clear plan of retaliation against Lively. Needless to say, for those wondering how Lively and her team received the damning messages, this is the likely answer.

Jones’ lawsuit seems to work almost in tandem with Lively’s because it points to many of the latter’s complaints. It appears that, once Baldoni and his team realized that Lively might go public with misconduct allegations, Abel and Nathan, as Jones’ lawsuit puts it, began “to formulate a no-holds-barred strategy to discredit and suppress any potential revelations about Baldoni’s on set behavior.” Jones’ suit also claims that the parties involved started “a smear campaign against Lively,” all of which was done without Jones’ knowledge and with the approval of It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath of Wayfarer Studios.

It all feels like a twisted form of industry bullying, not only against Lively but also allegedly against Jones, who states in her lawsuit that the parties involved began to make moves to undermine Jones’ reputation and steal clients from her firm while attempting to blame her for the campaign to damage Lively’s character. Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, who released a brief statement for his client denying Lively’s claims, has yet to comment on Jones’ lawsuit and that’s probably because he has to sort through a lot of paperwork at the moment.

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Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, It Ends With Us is a drama-romance film directed by Justin Baldoni. The film follows a recent college graduate named Lily, who meets a man named Ryle and falls in love with him. However, a traumatic incident compounded with her former high-school sweetheart re-entering her life complicates her plans.

Release Date

August 9, 2024

Runtime

130 Minutes

Cast

Blake Lively
, Justin Baldoni
, Brandon Sklenar
, Jenny Slate
, Hasan Minhaj
, Amy Morton
, Kevin McKidd
, Isabela Ferrer
, Alex Neustaedter
, Robert Clohessy
, Robyn Lively
, Megan Robinson
, Robin S. Walker
, Emily Baldoni
, Adam Mondschein
, Caroline Siegrist
, Steve Monroe
, Daphne Zelle

Distributor(s)

Sony Pictures Releasing

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