Justin Baldoni’s troubles seem to be mounting.
The actor and director’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, has filed a lawsuit against the actor, his film studio Wife, and his crisis PR team, alleging breach of contract and defamation. The New York Times.
The JonesWorks founder represented Baldoni, 40, before his alleged feud with Blake Lively drew public attention.
Court documents show that in August, Baldoni allegedly sought to protect his reputation from allegations of “misconduct and toxic on-set behavior.”
At this point, Jennifer Abel, a Jonas Works employee and Baldoni’s liaison, hired crisis PR consultant Melissa Nathan to handle the situation.
The lawsuit alleges that Abel and Nathan, along with Baldoni and Wayfarer, conducted a media smear campaign targeting Lively. Jones claims he was kept in the dark and subsequently blamed for the campaign.
Jones also accused Abel of trying to damage his business, alleging that Abel stole more than 70 documents from Jones Works and poached clients while secretly planning to start his own firm. tried
Abel, who now represents Baldoni through her own independent company, denies the claims.
Alleged text messages from Abel’s company phone are included in the lawsuit.
In one message, Abel allegedly described Baldoni as “disturbed” and said he “needs to be humble.” He also reportedly criticized her appearance and quoted Lively as saying, “Blake might as well have been left out.”
Abel reportedly resigned from Jones Works on July 10 via Zoom, leaving officially on August 23. Sources close to Abel said Page six that the lawsuit is “counterfeit,” asserting that Baldoni and Wayfarer voluntarily went with Abel.
“Justin and Wayfarer chose to go with Jennifer Abel and were not ‘stolen,’” the source said, adding that Abel had other clients long before she joined Jones Works.
A source close to Jones disputed the claims, saying, “Jane Abel stole multiple clients. Any claim otherwise is ridiculous on its face.”
The case adds another layer to the ongoing controversy surrounding Baldoni.
Over the weekend, Lively went public with a sexual harassment complaint alleging that Baldoni tried to damage her reputation with a similar media campaign.