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The legal drama between Jane the Virgin star Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively has taken a new turn, as Baldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, has denied “leaking” text messages that allegedly showed Baldoni’s team trying to tarnish Lively’s reputation.
In a recent filing in New York, Jones addressed Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit, in which he accused her of leaking “confidential information” to Lively. Jones made it clear that she didn’t leak anything, explaining that she turned over the text messages in question, but only after receiving a subpoena. According to Jones, she was simply complying with legal requirements and is not at fault in the situation.
Jones also took the opportunity to accuse Baldoni of not following the terms of their contract. She claims that Baldoni and his team are the ones failing to live up to their legal obligations, as reported by the Daily Mail. The publication also reviewed a copy of the subpoena Jones referred to, which was sent to her by Lively’s legal team back in October as part of the ongoing dual lawsuits. This subpoena ordered Jones to hand over any communications or documents involving Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The subpoena also warned that failure to comply could result in contempt of court charges.
Adding another layer to the ongoing legal conflict, Jones’s filing also accuses Baldoni’s former business partner, Jennifer Able, of breaching their contracts. Jones claims that Able, along with her ex-client Melissa Nathan, conspired to break the law, further complicating the situation.
For context, Baldoni’s team had previously brought up Jones’s name in their defamation lawsuit against Lively. They accused her of selectively sharing text messages with Lively that made it appear as if Able and Nathan were behind a smear campaign to hurt Lively’s reputation.
Jones’s lawyer, Maaren Shah, gave a statement in response, claiming that Baldoni and his team planted false stories in the press to damage Jones’s business. Shah also alleged that confidential documents and clients were stolen and that Jones had not been paid what she was owed for her work. “Those are the facts,” Shah said, emphasizing that no amount of PR spin could change the truth of the situation.