Justin Baldoni’s legal battle escalates as ex publicist denies leaking texts

Justin Baldoni’s ongoing legal battle took an unexpected turn after his former publicist strongly denied “leaking” text messages to Blake Lively that allegedly revealed his team was launching an anti-actress campaign.

In court documents filed in New York on Thursday, Stephanie Jones, whose firm Jonesworks PR represented the actor and his Wayfarer Studios during the It Ends with Us filming, responded to the 41-year-old's recent defamation claims.

She also accused him of “brazenly” breaking his contract.

In a response to Baldoni’s filing last month, Jones denied claims that she gave Lively “confidential information” and maintained that she had provided the text messages for legal purposes.

These messages, which were discovered on a work-issued phone belonging to Jones's ex-partner Jennifer Abel, were a major focus of Lively's case against Baldoni for sexual harassment and defamation. They were also widely reported in the December New York Times exposé.

A copy of the alleged subpoena, which was sent to Jones in October by attorneys at Mariatt, Phelps & Phillips and the same firm that represents Lively in the two lawsuits, was examined by Daily Mail.

Why is Blake Lively suing Justin Baldoni?

Lively accused director and co-star Baldoni of sexually harassing her on the film's set and then launching a smear campaign against her, both of which he denied in a lawsuit filed against him in December 2024.

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