Justin Baldoni Claims Former Publicist ‘Initiated’ Legal War With Blake Lively

This time round, Baldoni has taken purpose at his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, who he believes leaked the textual content messages that sparked Energetic’s lawsuit.

This comes after Blake Energetic and her husband, Ryan Reynolds requested a decide to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit towards them.

In keeping with Variety, Baldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, has turn into the newest individual to get dragged into his authorized conflict with Energetic.

Jones was a consultant of Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios final yr when experiences of a rumored rift between the actor and Energetic began swirling.

At her firm, Joneswork PR, she labored alongside Baldoni’s present publicist, Jennifer Abel, who can be suing her.

The duo declare Jones “initiated” the authorized conflict by allegedly leaking Abel’s textual content messages to Energetic’s crew.

“It’s simple that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of occasions by violating probably the most primary of privateness rights, in addition to any remaining belief her purchasers held,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman stated in an announcement to the publication.

He continued, “No stranger to stirring up disaster situations for departing purchasers, Ms. Jones maliciously turned over communications from the telephone she wrongfully took from her personal associate to her cohort, [Lively’s personal publicist] Leslie Sloane, instantly after Jones was terminated for trigger by Wayfarer as a consequence of her personal wrongful habits.”

In December 2024, the rumored feud between Energetic and Baldoni was inadvertently confirmed when the actress filed a lawsuit accusing the “It Ends With Us” director of sexual harassment and fostering a poisonous work surroundings.

Energetic additionally claimed that he brought about her “extreme emotional misery” along with his habits on the set of their movie.

She alleged that tensions reached a boiling level, prompting a gathering to handle her complaints towards the director.

Through the assembly, Energetic requested that there be “no extra exhibiting nude movies or pictures of girls” to her and that there be “no extra point out of Baldoni’s alleged earlier’ pornography habit.'”

The actress additionally demanded “no extra discussions about sexual conquests” in her presence, “no additional mentions of solid and crew’s genitalia,” and the cessation of conversations about her weight or her late father.

Moreover, Energetic referred to as for the chopping of any extra “intercourse scenes, oral intercourse, or on-camera climaxing” by Baldoni “outdoors the scope of the script [he] permitted when signing onto the mission.”

Shortly after Energetic’s lawsuit, Baldoni hit the actress with a hefty lawsuit, alleging that she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, tried to “destroy” him.

In keeping with authorized paperwork obtained by Variety, Baldoni filed a 179-page grievance within the Southern District of New York, accusing the Hollywood energy couple of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privateness. 

“At backside, this isn’t a case about celebrities sniping at one another within the press,” Baldoni’s lawsuit learn on the time. “It is a case about two of probably the most highly effective stars on the earth deploying their huge energy to steal a complete movie proper out of the palms of its director and manufacturing studio… When Plaintiffs have their day in court docket, the jury will acknowledge that even probably the most highly effective movie star can’t bend the reality to her will.”

The actor sought $400 million in damages. Earlier than submitting his countersuit, Baldoni’s lawyer despatched out a litigation maintain letter to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and director Tim Miller concerning the actor’s “anticipated claims” towards Reynolds, Energetic, and different unnamed events.

The letter demanded that the studio executives hold “any and all paperwork regarding the event of the Nicepool character” and “communications regarding the event, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes that includes Nicepool.”

Reynolds just lately requested {that a} decide let him out of Baldoni and Energetic’s bitter authorized battle.

In court docket paperwork obtained by TMZ, the actor claimed that Baldoni’s determination to file a lawsuit towards him was fueled by his “thin-skinned outrage over a film character.”

The remark was in reference to the “Deadpool & Wolverine” character, “Nicepool,” whom Baldoni has alleged was an intentional reference to him, all the way down to the character’s man-bun coiffure.

Reynolds additional states that his calling Baldoni a “predator” is an opinion protected by legislation, doubling down on the allegation that the director sexually harassed Energetic.

“Mr. Reynolds has a First Modification proper to carry Mr. Baldoni— or any man who Mr. Reynolds believes sexually harassed his spouse—in ‘deep disdain,'” the paperwork learn. “The Courtroom ought to dismiss the defamation declare as to Mr. Reynolds with prejudice as a result of the Predator Statements are expressions of opinion that deserve ‘absolute safety’ by legislation.”

Energetic’s attorneys have additionally filed for all instances towards the actress to be dropped, tagging Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit as “vengeful and rambling.”

They declare his countersuit is a “profound abuse of the authorized course of that has no place in federal court docket.”

“The legislation prohibits weaponizing defamation lawsuits, like this one, to retaliate towards people who’ve filed authorized claims or have publicly spoken out about sexual harassment and retaliation,” the paperwork learn.

“The proper to hunt authorized redress and the proper of the press to report on it are sacred ideas which can be protected by a number of privileges, together with the litigation and honest report privileges, that are absolute,” it continued, per the Daily Mail.

In response to Energetic’s newest request,  Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, stated, “Energetic’s current movement to dismiss herself from the self-concocted catastrophe she initiated is likely one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our authorized system.”

He added, “Stringent guidelines are put into place to guard the harmless and permit people to rightfully defend themselves.”