The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is contentious right now, and the rabbit hole has been getting deeper as there are actually multiple lawsuits ongoing as a result of the initial complaint filed by Lively, including some that don’t even technically involve her. This includes a pair of lawsuits, one filed by and another against Stephanie Jones, Justin Baldoni’s former publicist.
Jones sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer, and two other publicists, including Jennifer Abel, a former employee of Jones’ firm. In turn, she was countersued with claims that she breached her responsibilities by leaking text messages with Baldoni. Now Jones is seeking to have the countersuits dismissed through a pair of legal filings that take shots at Baldoni and co.
Publicist Calls Out Justin Baldoni’s 'Retaliatory, Vindictive Smear Campaign'
The first motion submitted by Stephanie Jones and Jonesworks LLC to the United States District Court for New York’s Southern District (via Deadline) focused on Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer production company. The motion to dismiss the lawsuit claims that Baldoni et al are suing simply out of anger that the conflict between the It Ends Us with Us director and Blake Lively has become public and that the lawsuit itself has no merit. The filing reads in part…
Wayfarer’s counterclaims are devoid of any footing in the law or reality, and serve only as a transparent vehicle to vent Wayfarer’s anger over the exposure of its co-founder Justin Baldoni’s well-publicized sexual harassment of co-star Blake Lively, and Wayfarer’s own direct involvement in the retaliatory, vindictive smear campaign that followed.
Jones’ lawyers claim that the potentially damaging text messages that she is accused of leaking were actually produced as part of a subpeona that she was complying with, and thus she can’t be blamed for them having been released to the public.
The messages allegedly show a coordinated plan to attack Blake Lively's credibility and are a major component of her own lawsuit against Baldoni.
The Second Motion Attempts To Dismiss Claims Of Former Employee
The other motion filed in court this week by Stephanie Jones is directed at Jennifer Abel, a former publicist at Stephanie Jones JonesWorks PR company. Abel is referred to as a “rogue employee” elsewhere in the filings, and the motion to dismiss calls her claims, including invasion of privacy, a “soap opera” that should be dismissed due to a lack of legal basis. The motion opens…
In her soap opera script masquerading as counterclaims, Jennifer Abel follows a reactionary, dramatic, and immature—but sadly familiar—playbook of filing legally faulty and baseless claims as a vehicle for her self-serving public narrative.
The lawsuits at the core of all this between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni aren’t expected to go to trial until next year. By then, the multiple other lawsuits may have been dealt with.
Notably, Baldoni is also suing the New York Times for publishing the story that broke this news, as well as suing Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. In the past month, Lively has moved to dismiss, and Reynolds made a motion to dismiss as well.
The results of all this could have a material impact on what happens when the core lawsuit comes to trial. As more information comes out about it, we'll keep you posted.
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