Movies

Jones Claims Baldoni Broke Contract

BBG News

Justin Baldoni‘s ex-publicist strongly refutes claims of leaking text messages allegedly revealing a damaging PR strategy against Blake Lively, which were said to have been orchestrated by his team.

In response to the recent defamation allegations made by the actor, Baldoni, Stephanie Jones, who managed his public relations firm, Jonesworks PR, during the production of “It Ends With Us,” has countered these claims and accused him of flagrantly violating his contract, as outlined in newly submitted legal documents filed in New York on Thursday.

In response to Baldoni’s filing from last month, Jones denied accusations of sharing ‘confidential information’ with Lively. She further stated that the text messages were handed over in accordance with a subpoena, indicating they were already in her possession.

The texts, discovered on Jennifer Abel’s work-provided cellphone (Jones’s former partner), played a crucial role in Lively’s defamation and sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni. These messages were extensively highlighted in the New York Times exposé published in December.

In the group, there was a well-known text message, originally sent by Baldoni’s other representative, Melissa Nathan who used to be Jones’s client. The message said, ‘We have the ability to hide or discredit anyone.’

DailyMail.com examined a supposed subpoena that Jones received from Mariatt, Phelps & Phillips, lawyers for Lively in the two ongoing legal cases, which was delivered to her in October.

The court instructed Jones to hand over various documents and correspondence related to Lively and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds. It warned that not complying could result in being held in contempt of court.

In his recent submission, it is alleged that Jones accuses both Baldoni (aged 41) and Abel of breaching their contracts with her. This supposedly unlawful act was done in collusion with Nathan, according to the claim.

Last month, Baldoni’s legal team joined Jones in their 400-million dollar defamation lawsuit against Lively, asserting that the text messages presented to the actress were selectively chosen to portray Abel and Nathan as masterminding a malicious smear campaign.

In the movie director’s claim, it was suggested that Lively’s team obtained some confidential texts through Jones, which ultimately resulted in Abel facing a wave of harsh online criticism when her text messages became part of her legal case.

In my professional opinion, I was let go from Wayfarer for reasons related to misconduct on my part, which they deemed unacceptable.

This statement maintains the original meaning while sounding more conversational and less formal. It also places the information in the first person perspective as requested.

In the statement given to DailyMail.com, attorney Maaren Shah reinforced accusations of a smear campaign and claimed that Baldoni and his group deliberately spread ‘misinformation’ regarding Jones.

 

Additionally, she claimed that Wayfarer, his company, did not make the required payments to Jonesworks, which were considered rightfully due.

She stated: ‘The distracting tactics used by Wayfarer and Ms. Abel in the media, as well as their lawsuits alleging that Ms. Jones leaked information falsely and attempting to discredit her, are simply a last-ditch effort to divert attention from the fact that they cannot justify their obvious misbehavior. To date, they have failed to provide any evidence contradicting Ms. Jones’ assertions.’

It’s unfortunate that they might prefer otherwise, but it’s clear that Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and Ms. Abel consistently violated their contractual agreements with Ms. Jones and Jonesworks. They audaciously pinned the blame for a smear campaign they orchestrated against Ms. Lively on her, showing a lack of remorse.

It is alleged that they deliberately spread misinformation in media outlets with the intention of damaging Ms. Jones’s business reputation; they also illegally obtained confidential documents and customers, and have failed to compensate Jonesworks for work duly paid.

‘Those are facts, and smoke and mirrors PR campaigns can’t change them.’

In the recent sequence of court cases involving Baldoni and Lively, aged 37, the latest set of legal papers has emerged, following her discreet appearance at an equestrian facility in South Salem, New York.

Baldoni has been maintaining a quiet stance during the conflict, and at present, he’s enjoying a prolonged holiday with his loved ones in Maui.

The most recent argument is added to a series of accusations and rebuttals that have been ongoing for several months regarding the aftermath of It Ends With Us. Legal representatives for both Lively and Baldoni have openly engaged in verbal sparring matches in public.

Multiple disclosures made so far have been particularly awkward, with Lively’s memorable reference to herself as a character similar to Daenerys Targaryen (Khaleesi) from Game of Thrones being one of the more notable instances. Additionally, she has referred to her husband Ryan Reynolds and close friend Taylor Swift as “my dragons.

Several of her more questionable statements were subjected to examination, particularly her allegation that Baldoni inappropriately touched her by nudging her neck during a scene and made comments about her scent – however, since the microphones were switched off, there’s no recorded evidence supporting this claim.

However, initially-published footage on DailyMail.com was found to contain audio recordings, providing a comprehensive account of the discussion, which unveiled that it centered around the scent of Lively’s self-tanner.

Additionally, she encountered criticism as she delivered court documents to Baldoni’s representatives during the destructive wildfire outbreak in Los Angeles, which occurred in early January.

Residing in Pacific Palisades, Freedman unfortunately found himself among those whose houses were completely destroyed by fire.

One rephrased version could be: The original grievance also mentioned that Lively didn’t read the book upon which It Ends With Us is adapted until after filming had already started, and she reportedly coordinated a negative media campaign with her publicist Sloane and the New York Times.

Baldoni’s counterclaim disclosed that he and his family were compelled to watch the premiere of “It Ends With Us” in a basement, as Lively declined to let him be present in the same area with her.

In a statement shared with DailyMail.com following the actor’s recent court action, attorney Bryan Freedman for Baldoni stated: ‘It cannot be disputed that Stephanie Jones started this unfortunate chain of events by infringing upon fundamental privacy rights and any residual trust his clients may have had.’

After being fired from Wayfarer for her own misconduct, Ms. Jones deliberately handed over conversations from a phone she had unfairly kept, to her associate Leslie Sloane (Lively’s publicist), creating potential crisis situations for departing clients, immediately following her termination.

As an ardent fan, I can’t help but echo the sentiments shared by Kristin Tahler, a partner at Quinn Emanuel, regarding the case of Jones. She stated to DailyMail.com that Jones’ lawsuit is rooted in solid facts and tangible evidence. This legal battle undeniably reveals a conniving plot orchestrated by Jen Abel in collusion with Melissa Nathan and others. Their objective? To pilfer mountains of confidential documents, clients, and staff, ultimately aiming to sabotage the business that Jones painstakingly constructed over decades.

‘Abel, Nathan, Baldoni, along with their fellow defendants, allegedly tried to reach their goals using methods like manipulation, distortion of truth, and outright insults. These claims are supported by numerous messages presented in the lawsuit we filed a month ago, making them difficult to refute convincingly.’

Without any factual support or proof, it appears they are following a typical strategy – discrediting our client, leading up to the filing of fictitious claims that have been presented as counterarguments [in the previous month].

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2025-04-11 07:04

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