The Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni legal feud is intensifying with every passing day. Recently, the actress sued her ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star and director Justin Baldoni. After she accuses him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her, new developments have come to light. Now, Baldoni’s former publicist Stephanie Jones has sued the actor. She alleges that Baldoni breached their contract, which required him to pay Jonesworks $25,000 per month. Their contract was terminated abruptly in August after Jennifer Abel left Jonesworks.

As per a New York Post report, the lawsuit also accuses Abel and Baldoni’s new publicist Melissa Nathan of orchestrating a smear campaign against Blake Lively. Jones claims that she was unaware and has no involvement in the alleged smear campaign. She accuses Abel and Nathan of attempting to shift the blame onto her. After Abel returned her company phone to Jones, Jones found messages and emails suggesting Abel’s collaboration with Baldoni and his studio, Wayfarer. At that point, Jones realized that her employee was part of the smear campaign against Lively. The suit states, “To this day, Abel and Nathan continue to point the finger falsely at Jones, now that their own misconduct is coming to light.” The suit also accuses them of trying to defame and attack Jones in the industry.

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Justin Baldoni Sued by His Former Publicist Amid Blake Lively Scandal
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Moreover, as per the lawsuit, during ‘It Ends With Us’ promotions, Justin Baldoni started fearing a lawsuit from Blake Lively over sexual harassment. Jones’ complaint alleges that Abel, Nathan, and Wayfarer’s Jamey Heath conspired to hatch a plan to tarnish Lively’s reputation. The suit alleges them of creating a “no-holds-barred strategy to discredit and suppress any potential revelations about Baldoni’s on-set behaviour.” The trio allegedly launched “a smear campaign against Lively” as part of their plan. Going by Jones’ suit, Baldoni and his team conspired to turn Blake from a victim to a perpetrator with their manipulative campaign.

Moreover, Blake Lively’s complaint against Justin Baldoni also submits text exchanges between his PR team. The said messages suggest that his team developed a meticulous plan and resorted to ‘astroturfing’ to manipulate public opinion. Moreover, the texts reveal plans to leverage Taylor Swift and Hailey Bieber’s public image to influence Lively’s image.

For more details: Taylor Swift and Hailey Bieber’s name surfaces in Justin Baldoni’s ‘smear campaign’ against Blake Lively

Meanwhile, last week Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and for launching a smear campaign against her. This included forcing unwanted kiss scenes on set and watching her naked. The lawsuit claims that Baldoni’s behaviour created a hostile work environment. Moreover, he retaliated against Lively after she raised concerns about his actions. As per the complaint lodged with the California Civil Rights Department, a meeting took place during the production of ‘It Ends with Us.’ It was to address Lively’s claims and her demands for working on the film. Some of the demands addressed allegedly included “No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake. No more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others.”

For further information: Blake Lively sues ‘It Ends with Us’ co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment