“Information was produced pursuant to a subpoena” — Publicist accused of leaking texts that fueled Blake Lively lawsuit says it was a court order

On March 22, Actor Justin Baldoni filed a lawsuit against his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, accusing her of maliciously leaking text messages that allegedly sparked a case involving Blake Lively. The New York Times reportedly obtained the texts, which exposed Baldoni's alleged scheme to disparage Lively.

In response, Jones stated in newly filed court documents on Thursday, April 10, that she submitted the texts in accordance with a court subpoena. As reported by the Mail that same day, Jones has also accused Baldoni of breaching his contract in her new filing.

As reported by Page Six on April 11, 2025, Jones further claimed:

“First, there was no leak… Information was produced pursuant to a subpoena. Wayfarer’s willfully avoids this reality to advance its publicity seeking leak narrative but they cannot change the subpoena.”

For context, it was widely assumed that Jones obtained the messages from the phone of Baldoni’s associate, Jennifer Abel, and forwarded them to the media. This followed claims that Baldoni had allegedly planned to defame co-star Blake Lively to refute her allegations that he abused her on the It Ends With Us movie set.

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Stephanie Jones was sued by Justin Baldoni regarding the latter's ongoing legal battle with Blake Lively

Justin Baldoni and his associate Jennifer Abel are suing publicist Stephanie Jones, alleging she was responsible for leaking text messages that reportedly fueled the court battle with Blake Lively.

The New York Times reported that the messages were discovered on a work-issued mobile of Jones's ex-partner, Jennifer Abel. They were a major aspect of Blake Lively's complaint against Baldoni for s*xual harassment and defamation.

Among them was the now-famous text message, "We can bury anyone," sent by Melissa Nathan, Jones's former client and Baldoni's other publicist. The Mail examined the copy of the purported subpoena that Jones mentioned.

It stated that Jones would be held in contempt of court if she did not submit a variety of documents and correspondence pertaining to Blake Lively and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds. Additionally, the outlet emphasized that non-compliance will result in contempt of court penalties.

Meanwhile, as reported by Page Six, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, issued a sharp statement:

“Ms. Jones maliciously turned over communications from the phone she wrongfully took from her own partner.”

In response, Jones's legal team pushed back. Her attorney, Maaren Shah, released a statement to Daily Mail, accusing Baldoni and his team of spreading "falsehoods" about her client in the press.

Additionally, Shah claimed that his business, Wayfarer, had neglected to give Jones money that was "fairly owed." She further said:

“They've planted falsehoods in the press to tarnish Ms. Jones's business, stole confidential documents and clients, and refused to pay Jonesworks what was fairly owed. Those are facts, and smoke and mirrors PR campaigns can't change them.”

She continued:

“They may wish it weren't the case, but the fact remains that Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios and Ms. Abel brazenly and repeatedly breached their contractual obligations to Ms. Jones and Jonesworks, shamelessly framing her as the culprit behind the smear campaign they themselves created targeting Ms. Lively…”

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The case is expected to go to court sometime in the coming year. Meanwhile, despite the legal drama, Blake was recently seen at a premiere of her newly released movie, Another Simple Favor.