Justin Baldoni's former publicist is suing the actor-director amid the growing spate of Blake Lively's alleged harassment, Baldoni's. It ends with us co-star
Lively previously filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and launching a social media campaign to “destroy” her reputation – the details of which were in a series of text messages involving Baldoni, his current publicist, Jennifer. Abel, and PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan.
In a new lawsuit filed in New York state court on Tuesday, Stephanie Jones, owner of PR firm Jonesworks, accuses Baldoni of breaching their contract when he left the company. after leaving Abel Jonesworks to start her own company.
Jones also claims that Abel and Nathan conducted an online smear campaign against Lively behind Jones' back and without her knowledge. Jones is suing the two, along with Baldoni, for defamation, saying they tried to blame Jones for the alleged campaign once word got out. .
'You know we can bury anyone'
Documents filed in Lively's files show texts between Abel, Nathan and sometimes Baldoni and others that appear to detail plans to damage Lively's reputation by spreading negative stories about her in the media and on social media.
“You know we can bury anyone,” read one text given to Nathan.
In another message allegedly sent by Abel, the publicist says she is having dinner with a friend who writes for several major US publications, and that she is “armed and ready for this story about Blake weaponizing feminism” to any of her outlets. “She hates Blake, she's heard this story before, and she'll do anything for us,” yes the message says.
Blake Lively has accused It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of trying to “destroy” her reputation after she complained of sexual harassment during filming. A lawyer for Baldoni says the claims are 'apparently false'.
Baldoni's talent agency, WME, fired him the day Lively's complaint was filed.
Baldoni's lawyers have denied the allegations. Abel told The Hollywood Reporter that the text messages in the file were selected and that there was no smear campaign.
“These claims are completely false, outrageous and deliberately insane with the intent to injure the public and repeat a narrative in the media,” said attorney Bryan Freedman, who represents Baldoni, his production company and its representatives, in a statement.
Lively's complaint alleges that a meeting was held during filming — attended by her husband, Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, and others — to address Baldoni's behavior. According to the complaint, Lively asked Baldoni to stop “showing nude videos or images of women” of her, as well as conversations about “pornography addiction” or “sexual addiction” that Baldoni was.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included stopping Baldoni from making further references to genitalia, inquiries about Lively's weight or “a reference by Mr. Baldoni that he was talking to his dead father.” (Lively).
Lively came under fire for promoting a movie
It ends with us opened successfully in August after months of speculation about problems on set and controversies surrounding the promotion of the sometimes light-hearted film, which focused on themes of domestic violence.
A clip of Lively urging viewers to “grab your friends, wear your flowers and go see it,” for example, drew heavy criticism.
Karen Mason, co-founder and executive director of Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research, was among Lively's critics at the time.
She now says she is now questioning whether she was misled by a social media campaign against the actor.
“The news of her trial made me stop and think and wonder, 'Was I the victim of a campaign that was out there designed specifically to make her look bad, to make her look like that she was minimizing the effects of domestic violence? '” said Mason, speaking to CBC News.
“And Justin Baldoni was out there interviewing and talking about the survivors, and that was the right thing to do strategically. But if it did not come from an authentic place, many of us were drawn into that statement which was not true. and that worries me.”
Hollywood stars back to Lively
Many people have drawn parallels between Lively and Amber Heard – especially since Heard's ex-husband Johnny Depp also hired Nathan for emergency management during his defamation lawsuit against Heard.
Heard, who was ordered to pay millions in a case that some felt was influenced by Depp's social media campaign against her, spoke out in what appeared to be support for Lively. in a statement to NBC News Monday.
“Social media is the perfect personification of the classic saying, 'A lie travels halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on,'” she said. “I've seen this up close and personal. It's as horrifying as it is devastating.”
America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, actors who starred with Lively in the 2005 film Sister of the Traveling Parentshe also spoke out in support of Lively, releasing a joint statement on Instagram on Sunday.
“Duration of filming It ends with uswe saw her (Lively) have the courage to demand a safe workplace for herself and her colleagues on set, and we are saddened to read the evidence of a premeditated and futile effort that followed to discredit done on her voice,” they wrote.
Colleen Hoover, author of the 2016 best-selling novel on which the film was based, posted a photo of herself with Lively, who she described as “honest, kind, supportive and patient,” and shared the post from Ferrera, Tamblyn and Bledel.
Lively's It ends with us Co-stars Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate have also supported her.
In reported to Today.comSlate said: “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is very dark, disturbing and downright dangerous. I applaud my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side. “
