Justin Baldoni hit with lawsuit amid ‘It Ends With Us’ controversy
Actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni's holiday season has taken a grim turn. Already embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment and a smear campaign against co-star Blake Lively, Baldoni now faces his first formal lawsuit tied to the controversy.
Stephanie Jones, founder of Baldoni's former PR firm, Jonesworks, has filed an eight-claim lawsuit accusing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel of defamation, breach of contract, and conspiracy.
The complaint alleges that the publicists conspired with Baldoni to orchestrate a smear campaign targeting Jones.
"Behind Jones's back, they [Nathan and Abel] secretly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to implement an aggressive media smear campaign against Baldoni's film co-star, and then used the crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and to publicly pin blame for this smear campaign on Jones," the jury trial-seeking filing in New York State court shared.