The PR Battle Behind ‘It Ends With Us’ Feud Escalates

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Last year, prior to the release of “It Ends With Us”, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni found themselves in a delicate situation where we decided to call a temporary truce – neither of us would talk negatively about each other to the media. We both understood that it was crucial to maintain harmony to ensure our movie didn’t suffer due to any personal disputes.

Around that period, Stephanie Jones, who was the publicist for the film’s production company at the time, contacted a reporter from the Daily Mail, contrary to Baldoni’s instructions not to do so, regarding an article about the ongoing feud. The purpose was apparently to dispel any doubts about her involvement in the PR conflict, as suggested by a lawsuit filed against Jonesworks on Friday. Soon after this incident, Baldoni terminated Jones’ services and indicated his intention to follow his publicist, Jennifer Abel, to her new PR agency. This move prompted Jones to seize Abel’s phone, which contained confidential information related to Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer. This information was later used in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni and his PR team, alleging that they orchestrated a smear campaign, according to the lawsuit.

As an ardent supporter, I’m sharing that Wayfarer is taking legal action against Jones for a breach of contract, while Abel is filing suits alleging fraud, privacy violation, and unjust competition, to name a few.

Bryan Freedman, representing Wayfarer, stated that it’s clear Stephanie Jones started this disastrous chain of incidents by breaching fundamental privacy rules and shattering the faith her clients had placed in her,” in simpler terms.

Kristin Tahler, who represents Jones, stated that Wayfarer’s lawsuit appears more like a fictitious piece disguised as counterclaims. In her statement, she mentioned that Abel allegedly collaborated with Melissa Nathan and others to pilfer large amounts of confidential documents, clients, and staff members, with the ultimate goal of sabotaging the business that Ms. Jones has spent several decades constructing.

The countersuit, which Jones filed in response to her breach of contract lawsuit against Baldoni and Abel, represents the most recent legal move in the extensive court battle over the filming and publicity strategies behind “It Ends With Us“. Although the lawsuits between Lively and Baldoni have garnered the majority of media attention, it is noteworthy that the publicists, who are alleged to have orchestrated defamatory campaigns, are also implicated in this dispute.

In the lawsuit, Jones’ publicist asserted that Abel had been plotting for months to depart from Jonesworks and took the company’s clients with him, all while damaging Jones’ professional standing. She accused Nathan, who was hired by Baldoni as a crisis PR expert during the escalating dispute, of urging Abel to leave in order to acquire Jonesworks’ clientele.

Wayfarer presents a conflicting narrative about the series of incidents that eventually resulted in Lively exposing allegations of misconduct during the film’s production. This version of events places blame on Jones for the breakdown of their relationship, which ultimately led to Jones voluntarily disclosing information to Lively’s team, going against the terms of their contract.

Over the course of approximately four years, Abel handled the account between Jonesworks and Wayfarer, as well as Baldoni. The company had an agreement with Baldoni that lasted for a year, and they were billed at a monthly rate of $20,000 (as claimed in the lawsuit by Jones, it was actually $25,000 per month).

By July 2024, Wayfarer, feeling undervalued compared to clients like Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, and Jeff Bezos in Jones’ eyes, contends that Jones was experiencing a significant loss of clients and staff, as suggested by Business Insider’s unfavorable article about her firm. Around this time, Abel decided to leave Jones and announced her intention to establish her own company. The lawsuit claims that Jones was reportedly worried that Abel might take Wayfarer’s business to her new venture. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Jones resisted Wayfarer hiring Nathan as a crisis management PR specialist.

In July-August 2024, as stated in the complaint, it appeared that Jones was attempting to exclude Nathan and Abel from certain matters by getting involved. However, Jones hadn’t been part of Wayfarer leadership’s communication plans or decision-making processes, a fact she often attributed to her busy schedule with important clients. Wayfarer was content with Jones’ detachment since they trusted Abel and had no desire to be caught up in the politics of Jonesworks.

As a gamer putting it in my own words, In my legal claim, I assert that I was fired due to a violation of the mutual understanding between my two companies, Wayfarer and Lively, not to sabotage each other through public media.

Mitchell Schuster, representing Wayfarer, states in a countersuit that their leadership and Sony were both upset. The situation was tense because everyone wanted to avoid a public feud between Lively and Baldoni as the film was about to be released globally. Jones’ unauthorized actions had increased the chances of such a conflict happening significantly.

In August, Abel was let go by Jones and his phone was confiscated. Later on, Jones allegedly disclosed private details concerning Wayfarer and Baldoni to Leslie Sloane, who is Lively’s representative, as stated in the lawsuit.

Jones’ legal team asserts that she didn’t willingly give Abel’s phone content to anyone, nor was she compelled to do so under a subpoena from Lively’s legal team, claims they made in response to the accusations.

Read Tahler’s full statement below:

In essence, Miss Jones’ legal claim hinges solely on solid facts and tangible proof. This lawsuit unequivocally demonstrates that Jen Abel colluded with Melissa Nathan and others in a scheme to pilfer vast amounts of confidential documents, clients, and personnel. Their ultimate goal was to sabotage the very business that Miss Jones has painstakingly constructed over several decades.

Abel, Nathan, Baldoni, along with their fellow defendants, tried to attain these results using tactics such as bullying, distortion, and open criticism. These actions are supported by numerous messages presented in the lawsuit we filed a month ago, making it difficult for them to be convincingly refuted.
In an attempt to reach these goals, Abel, Nathan, Baldoni, and their associates resorted to bullying, manipulating facts, and belittling. These actions are substantiated by numerous messages from the lawsuit we filed last month, making it challenging for them to successfully challenge.

Without any supporting data or proof, it appears the same old tactic is being used – discrediting our client, leading to what seems like fictional rebuttals disguised as counterclaims, which were submitted yesterday.

Read Freedman’s full statement below:

Bryan Freedman, Wayfarer’s lawyer, stated that it’s clear Stephanie Jones started this chain of disastrous events by breaching fundamental privacy rules and any trust her clients had left. In a statement, he added that Jones often creates crisis situations for departing clients, and after being fired from Wayfarer for misconduct, she intentionally shared private communications from a phone she shouldn’t have had access to with Leslie Sloane. Stephanie Jones, founder of Jonesworks, has a history of suspicious behavior at work, which the Lively parties could have discovered with minimal online research. However, they still fell victim to Jones’ plot for revenge against her former trusted employee, causing significant harm to her long-term clients. We will continue our efforts until our clients are proven innocent and fairly compensated for the extensive damages they’ve suffered.

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2025-03-21 22:54