A publicist has filed a lawsuit against her former client Justin Baldoni, his production company and his current publicity team, days after Blake Lively accused them of orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Stephanie Jones, who owns PR company Jonesworks, has accused Baldoni of breaching his contract which required him to pay 25,000 dollars (£19,940) a month after he allegedly left the firm a few months into a year-long contract.
Baldoni moved to work with publicist Jennifer Abel, who left Jonesworks to start her own publicity firm, according to the lawsuit.
Ms Jones is also suing Ms Abel who she claims “went around” her to arrange for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios to hire crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan – who is also named in the lawsuit – “and launch a smear campaign against Lively”.
It comes after Lively filed a legal complaint accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends With Us, as well as embarking on a “multi-tiered plan” with his team to damage her reputation.
Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing all defendants, previously described the claims in the Lively complaint as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious”, adding that the studio “made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film”.
The legal action from Lively featured text messages from Ms Abel in which she and other members of Baldoni’s publicity team talk about how to “bury” Lively.
The new lawsuit reveals that Ms Jones “forensically preserved” messages on Ms Abel’s company-issued Jonesworks phone which were given to Lively’s lawyers after they issued a subpoena.
A spokesperson for Ms Abel described the lawsuit as “retaliatory behaviour” from Ms Jones after Baldoni and Wayfarer choose to leave with her.
Meanwhile, in a statement given to the PA news agency, Ms Jones’ lawyer Kristin Tahler said the lawsuit was “a necessary step” for her “to recover the reputation she has worked decades to establish”.
The lawsuit comes after US actor and director Baldoni had the Voices of Solidarity Award revoked.
Baldoni had received the award earlier this month from charity Vital Voices, which honours “remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls”.
The charity said the alleged “disturbing” conduct detailed in Lively’s legal action was “contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the award”, adding “we have rescinded this award”.
It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s novel, is about a woman’s pursuit of a loving and healthy relationship.
Lively plays lead character Lily Bloom and Baldoni is her love interest Ryle Kincaid amid a backdrop of domestic violence.
A representative for Baldoni has been contacted for comment.
