Justin Baldoni sued by ex-publicist amid Blake Lively scandal
Justin Baldoni, who stars in Jane the Virgin and directed Clouds, is being sued by his former publicist, Stephanie Jones. The lawsuit also names Baldoni's company and current publicity team. The suit comes amid a continuing controversy over an alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively, Baldoni's co-star in It Ends With Us. Jones accused Baldoni of contract breach, alleging he didn't pay her $25K per month as agreed upon in their contract.
Jones accused former employees of smear campaign
Jones has also sued her former employee Jennifer Abel and publicist Melissa Nathan. She accuses them of orchestrating the smear campaign against Lively without her knowledge or consent. The lawsuit states, "To this day, Abel and Nathan continue to point the finger falsely at Jones now that their own misconduct is coming to light." Notably, Blake's team accessed some incriminating text messages between Nathan and Abel via a subpoena issued to Jones's Jonesworks LLC.
Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni and his publicists
Lively has filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging that Baldoni and his publicists orchestrated negative media coverage about her. This was reportedly in retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment on set. The complaint describes sexually inappropriate comments and behavior by Baldoni that reportedly took place on set in 2023.
Jones's lawsuit reveals Abel and Nathan's alleged misconduct
Jones's lawsuit claims Abel conspired for months to leave her company, steal her clients, and ruin her reputation in the industry. She accuses Nathan of encouraging Abel to leave as it would give Nathan greater access to those clients. The suit also claims Abel and Nathan planted negative stories about Jones in the press. It seeks damages for breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and defamation.
Jones's lawsuit also includes claims of document theft
Along with the above-mentioned allegations, Jones's lawsuit also includes claims of Abel and Nathan downloading and stealing company documents as well as clients. The lawsuit contains text messages between the defendants that seemingly incriminate them. In one such message, Abel refers to Baldoni as "pompous," stating, "You're not that important and nobody gives a shit how hard your life is."
