Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni controversy: Justin Baldoni faces lawsuit by his former publicist for a breach of contract

Justin Baldoni

Actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni is facing escalating legal issues after his former publicist, Steph Jones, filed a breach of contract lawsuit against him. The lawsuit, which was filed in a New York State court this week, comes amid allegations of sexual misconduct made by Baldoni’s co-star from It Ends With Us, Blake Lively, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Baldoni, who both directed and starred in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel It Ends With Us, had signed a one-year contract with the PR firm Jonesworks, led by his former publicist Steph Jones. The agreement was valued at USD 25,000 per month.

However, in August, coinciding with the film’s theatrical release, Baldoni allegedly ended his professional relationship with Jonesworks, transitioning his business to a new PR firm launched by his previous publicist, Jennifer Abel.

According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit filed by Steph Jones accuses Justin Baldoni of breaching their contract. The legal action also implicates Jennifer Abel and fellow publicist Melissa Nathan, accusing them of conspiring with Baldoni in a larger effort to harm Jones' professional reputation. Jones alleges that following Baldoni’s departure from Jonesworks, the publicists, together with Baldoni, orchestrated a smear campaign targeting Blake Lively.

According to the lawsuit obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the campaign was orchestrated as retaliation after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of 'It Ends With Us'.

Blake Lively recently filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, and a coordinated smear campaign. In her legal filing, Lively details several troubling incidents, including unplanned physical contact, invasive behavior, and unsolicited graphic scene suggestions. She also claims Baldoni made inappropriate remarks about his past struggles with addiction in ways that caused her discomfort. Additionally, Lively alleges that an intervention was necessary to stop Baldoni from showing her explicit videos and images of women, as well as from discussing his past sexual experiences.