Justin Baldoni Files Libel Lawsuit Against New York Times Over Blake Lively Story

A dispute stemming from a suspected attempt to tarnish Blake Lively’s reputation during the production of “It Ends With Us” has led to a new legal action, specifically a libel claim filed against The New York Times.

In a lawsuit submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, Justin Baldoni alleges that The Times colluded with Rachel Lively’s public relations team to propagate an “unsubstantiated and self-benefiting story” while overlooking facts that disputed her statements.

Baldoni’s grievance comes after Stephanie Jones, a previous representative for Baldoni, submitted a complaint. She claimed that Baldoni and his team violated their contract by pushing her out as his publicist following apprehensions about Lively disclosing allegations. This complaint was lodged shortly after Lively filed legal action against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, an apparent prelude to a lawsuit. The accused parties in this case include Baldoni, his film studio Wayfarer, and public relations representatives Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, who are alleged to have coordinated a defamatory campaign against Lively.

The argument has drawn in many prominent figures from Hollywood’s public relations sector. Lively’s grievance featured numerous excerpts of text messages and emails that she acquired through a subpoena sent to Jonesworks. These communications were taken from a phone belonging to Abel, who departed the company this year to launch her own venture.

Abel urged Nathan to demonstrate resolve and capability when dealing with crisis situations, saying “I believe it’s essential for you all to be firm and display your capabilities in such scenarios. [Baldoni] needs to feel confident that action will be taken.” In response, Nathan acknowledged the sentiment but explained their limitations, stating “Certainly — however, you should understand that when we forward documents, we can’t include details of what we may or might do because it could lead to serious trouble. We can’t state that we intend to eliminate her. Consider the consequences if a document outlining everything he desires fell into the wrong hands. You know we have the power to conceal anyone.

More to come…

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2025-01-01 03:25