Washington: The legal troubles surrounding actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni continue to grow as he faces a breach of contract lawsuit filed by his former publicist Steph Jones.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a lawsuit has been filed in New York state court this week following sexual misconduct allegations made by Baldoni’s ‘It End’s With Us’ co-star Blake Lively.
Baldoni, who both directed and starred in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel It Ends with Us, signed a one-year contract with Jones’ PR firm, JonesWorks, at a rate of US$25,000 per month. According to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, in August, as soon as the film was released theatrically, Baldoni reportedly parted ways with Jonesworks and transferred his business to a new PR firm founded by his former publicist Jennifer Abel.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit filed by Jones accuses Baldoni of breach of contract, but also names Abel and fellow publicist Melissa Nathan as conspirators in a broader effort to damage Jones’ professional reputation .
Jones claims that after Baldoni’s departure, the publicist, along with Baldoni, engaged in a smear campaign against Lively.
According to the lawsuit obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the campaign was carried out as retaliation after Baldoni accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of ‘It End’s With Us’.
In Lively’s complaint, filed with the California Department of Civil Rights on December 23, she described how Baldoni and his team allegedly engaged in an effort of “social manipulation” to ruin her reputation.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this is believed to be in response to Baldoni’s claims of sexual harassment against her.
Lively’s legal team obtained evidence, including text messages that were allegedly exchanged between Abel, Nathan, and Baldoni.
The communications presented in Lively’s lawsuit suggest a coordinated effort to “bury” Lively’s allegations to prevent a public scandal.
Baldoni has strongly denied the allegations made by Lively, calling them “shameful” and “blatantly false”.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, in a statement, Baldoni called the claims “serious and outrageous” and vehemently denied any wrongdoing by him or the film’s production company, Wayfarer Studios.
However, the legal drama doesn’t end with Lively’s allegations. The breach of contract lawsuit filed by Jones claims that Abel, who had planned to leave JonesWorks, took steps to weaken the firm as well as attempted to take over his clients.
Jones further alleged that Nathan encouraged Abel’s departure and that this concerted effort caused significant damage to Jonesworks’ reputation and operations.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit claims, “The scheme ultimately caused serious harm to Jones and JonesWorks.”
As the legal battle unfolds, both the allegations involving Baldoni and the ongoing dispute between the parties involved continue to attract attention.
