Justin Baldoni Sues Former Publicist Over Leaked Text Messages
Justin Baldoni, known for his role in *Jane the Virgin*, has filed a lawsuit against his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, alleging that she leaked private text messages, which subsequently led to a legal dispute with actress Blake Lively.
In the lawsuit, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, accused Jones of violating privacy rights and breaching trust. “It is undeniable that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of events by violating the most basic of privacy rights, as well as any remaining trust her clients held,” Freedman stated.
The legal complaint claims that Jones seized Jennifer Abel’s phone, which contained confidential text messages, and shared them with Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane. According to the lawsuit, Abel was called to a meeting where she was confronted by a security guard, a forensic data extraction expert, and an attorney. The attorney reportedly alleged that Jones suspected Abel had retained proprietary information on her personal laptop.
The lawsuit further alleges that Jones locked Abel out of critical accounts tied to two-factor authentication and used the obtained material against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer. “Jones turned over the contents of Abel’s phone to Lively and her team—without a subpoena—so they could construct a false narrative about the source of Lively’s bad publicity,” the complaint states.
In response, Jones’s attorney, Kristin Tahler, defended her client, stating, “Ms. Jones’ lawsuit is based entirely on facts and concrete evidence… Abel, Nathan, Baldoni, and their co-defendants attempted to achieve these outcomes through bullying, distortion, and outright disparagement.”
This legal battle adds to Baldoni’s ongoing $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The case highlights the escalating tensions and complex legal disputes surrounding privacy breaches and professional relationships in the entertainment industry.
