Former publicist Steph Jones sues Justin Baldoni for breach of contract and the Blake Lively smear campaign

Justin Baldoni, actor and director of It Ends With Us, faces a lawsuit from his former publicist, Steph Jones, amid allegations of a smear campaign targeting co-star Blake Lively. The lawsuit was filed on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

The suit accuses Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and his current publicity team of breach of contract, defamation, and other claims, as per a December 24, 2024, report by The Wrap. This legal action follows Lively's separate California complaint against the actor alleging s*xual harassment and disciplinary actions.

Steph Jones, owner of Jonesworks, alleges that Justin Baldoni breached their $25,000-per-month agreement by terminating their contract prematurely in August 2023. The termination occurred shortly after Jennifer Abel, Jones' publicist for Baldoni, left Jonesworks to start her own firm.

The lawsuit further accuses Abel and Melissa Nathan, another publicist involved with Baldoni, of orchestrating a smear campaign against Lively without Jones' knowledge. She claims that Abel and Nathan have falsely pointed fingers at her for the campaign, defaming her in the industry.

"To this day, Abel and Nathan continue to point the finger falsely at Jones now that their own misconduct is coming to light, and to defame and attack Jones in the industry," the suit states.

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Justin Baldoni is accused of retaliation and harassment

Blake Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department on Saturday, December 23, 2023, accusing Baldoni of s*xual harassment during the filming of It Ends With Us in 2023. She has also alleged that Justin Baldoni's team arranged negative media coverage in retaliation for her raising concerns about his on-set behavior.

Text messages, obtained through a subpoena from Jonesworks, reportedly show Justin Baldoni's publicists plotting to "bury" Lively to prevent her from going public with allegations, according to Variety.

Jones revealed that she "forensically preserved" Abel's company-issued phone after her termination. Examination of the device uncovered messages implicating Abel and Nathan in the smear campaign against Blake Lively. According to the suit, these messages also show Abel encouraging other Jonesworks clients and employees to leave the company.

"Abel and Nathan's covert take down and smear campaigns were revealed in black and white on Abel's company-issued phone following her termination," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit continues:

"Jones discovered the breadth and intensity of Abel and Nathan's duplicity from these records."

It accuses Abel of conspiring with Nathan to undermine Jones' reputation, steal her clients, and damage her business. The lawsuit further alleges that Abel and Nathan planted negative stories about Jones in the press, including an article published by Business Insider last summer.

Jones' claims include breach of contract, tortious interference, breach of fiduciary duty, and defamation. The lawsuit asserts that Abel's actions inflicted significant harm on Jonesworks' reputation and business operations.

Bryan Freedman, representing Justin Baldoni, Abel, and Nathan, has categorically denied the allegations. Freedman also threatened to sue Jones for sharing Abel's phone contents with Lively's legal team. In response to similar accusations raised by Lively, Freedman stated:

"The allegations in Lively's complaint are categorically false."

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Jennifer Abel and Nathan's involvement in other high-profile cases, including Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard, has also drawn attention. However, Freedman dismissed claims of coordinated smear campaigns as exaggerated, asserting that public perceptions were formed organically based on well-documented events.