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The controversy surrounding Blake Lively’s sexual misconduct allegations against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, shows no signs of abating. She has also accused him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her. While Baldoni is already facing a lawsuit filed by Lively, his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, has now filed a separate lawsuit against the actor, his company Wayfarer Studios, and his current publicity team.
According to Variety, Stephanie Jones, the owner of the public relations firm Jonesworks, has accused Baldoni of breaching their contract by failing to pay her $25,000 per month (Rs 21 lakh). In the lawsuit, Jones alleges that her former employee, Jennifer Abel, was responsible for orchestrating the alleged “smear campaign” against Lively without her knowledge. Jones claims she only discovered Abel’s actions after Abel left Jonesworks in August to start her own firm. Upon reviewing the details from Abel’s returned company phone, Jones says she found text messages and emails that implicated Abel in collaborating with Baldoni and his studio, Wayfarer, to carry out the campaign against Lively. She has also sued crisis manager Melissa Nathan, for defamation and breach of contract.
Jones asserts that she has been unfairly implicated despite having no involvement in the alleged misconduct. She alleges that Abel and Nathan are now attempting to shift the blame onto her to deflect scrutiny from themselves. “To this day, Abel and Nathan continue to point the finger falsely at Jones now that their own misconduct is coming to light, and to defame and attack Jones in the industry,” the lawsuit states.
The legal filing also accuses Abel, Nathan, and Wayfarer executive Jamey Heath of formulating a “no-holds-barred strategy to discredit and suppress any potential revelations about Baldoni’s on-set behaviour.” They allegedly launched “a smear campaign against Lively” as part of the plan.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Abel has reportedly defended her departure from Jonesworks, citing “bullying” and a toxic work environment as the reasons for her resignation. She has denied the allegations against her and pushed back against Jones’s claims.
Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni accuses the actor and director of sexual harassment and deliberately tarnishing her reputation through a smear campaign. The allegations include claims that Baldoni shared explicit images with her, openly talked about his struggles with pornography addiction, and made derogatory remarks about her body.
Click for more updates and latest Hollywood News along with Bollywood and Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the World at The Indian Express.
