‘It Ends With Us’ director Justin Baldoni sued by former PR

The fallout from Blake Lively’s sexual harassment dispute with It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni intensified on Tuesday as Baldoni’s former publicist sued him and others for defamation and breach of contract.

In a filing in New York, Stephanie Jones, who founded Jonesworks, claimed her former employee Jennifer Abel, crisis communications expert Melissa Nathan, and Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios conspired to undermine her, devised a smear campaign again Lively behind Jones’s back which they attributed to Jones, and stole clients, including Baldoni.

Lively filed a civil complaint over the weekend with the California Civil Rights Department (CCRD) against Baldoni and others, in which she alleged sexual harassment by Baldoni during production of Sony’s summer hit It Ends With Us and claimed to be on the receiving end of a retaliatory campaign after she brought up her concerns. Baldoni’s lawyer has called the allegations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious”.

Since then many Hollywood celebrities have spoken out in support of Lively. Paul Feig, who directed her in A Simple Favor, described her as “one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with”.

Lively’s The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel said they stood beside their friend “as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation”.

In her complaint, Lively revealed through a court order thousands of texts and emails against her. Jones said on Tuesday that the texts were on a company phone used by Abel.

The phone was returned to Jones when she fired Abel last summer after she claimed Abel had stolen documents containing proprietary information as the latter prepared to launch her own public relations company. None of the parties had commented at time of writing.

It Ends With Us has earned more than $350m at the global box office and centres on a budding romance that is cut miniature following episodes of domestic violence.

Earlier in December, the non-profit Vital Voices rescinded its Voices of Solidarity Award to Baldoni, which recognises “men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls”.