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Last Updated: April 25, 2025, 19:26 IST
Justin’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, stated that his former PR firm and its founder were part of a larger scheme to misuse private information.
Justin Baldoni initiated a substantial $400 million lawsuit earlier this year.
The ongoing legal dispute involving Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni continues to intensify. What began as a relatively minor public disagreement has escalated into a complex and serious conflict that involves allegations of significant misconduct from both sides.
In a recent development, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman characterized the situation as a primarily public relations issue. However, Baldoni’s legal representatives contend that the matter extends beyond mere PR concerns. On April 24, they filed additional allegations against his previous public relations firm, Jonesworks, and its founder, Stephanie Jones. Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, claimed that both the firm and its founder participated in a broader plan to illegally exploit private information. “We are just beginning to unearth a far-reaching and more nefarious strategy,” Freedman stated.
This conflict revolves around text messages and other sensitive information extracted from the phone of Jennifer Abel, a publicist who left Jonesworks in 2023. Baldoni’s legal team suggests that this data was manipulated and released as part of a fabricated lawsuit intended to appear legitimate in order to secure information. Freedman remarked, “To suggest, as Vanzan (Lively and Reynolds) do in their secret ‘complaint,’ that they are oblivious to the identities of their own employees and contractual partners is utterly ludicrous.”
The purported lawsuit, filed under the name Vanzan, allegedly has ties to Blake Lively and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds. Furthermore, the case, which is labeled Vanzan v. Does 1–10 and was lodged in September 2024, notably did not identify any defendants, lacked an assigned judge, and was ultimately dismissed just prior to Blake submitting her sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against Baldoni to California’s Civil Rights Department in December.
In response, Kristen Tahler, representing Jonesworks, countered strongly. She asserted that Baldoni’s team failed to present any concrete evidence, abandoned critical components of their original $400 million claim, and resorted to weak new allegations. “Beneath their bravado lies not even an effort to justify the malfeasance illustrated by the evidence,” she remarked.
Importantly, the trial concerning Justin and Blake is set to commence on March 9, 2026. As it stands, Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times are actively seeking to have their names removed from Baldoni’s lawsuit.
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www.news18.com