LOS ANGELES (AP) — The high-profile dispute between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni escalated into new legal territory Thursday as PR executive Stephanie Jones issued subpoenas to major tech companies, marking the latest development in a rapidly expanding Hollywood scandal.
Jones, founder of Jonesworks, is demanding records from WhatsApp, Signal, Hostinger, Name Cheap, AnyFlip, and Gab AI to uncover the identities behind alleged anonymous posts and websites targeting Lively. The subpoenas specifically seek account information, including deleted communications that could reveal who orchestrated what Jones claims was a coordinated smear campaign.
The legal maneuver follows Jones’ December lawsuit against Baldoni, Crisis PR executive Melissa Nathan, and publicist Jennifer Abel, alleging defamation and breach of contract. The suit claims Abel and Nathan “secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks,” while allegedly downloading confidential documents before leaving the company.
The controversy ignited when Lively filed sexual harassment claims with California’s Civil Rights Department on December 20, followed by Baldoni’s retaliatory $250 million libel suit against the New York Times on New Year’s Eve. The dispute has since fractured professional relationships across Hollywood, with talent agency WME dropping Baldoni and Sony publicly supporting Lively.
Abel, who now runs RWA Communications, contests Jones’ version of events, claiming discussions about an anti-Lively campaign never materialized because “the internet was doing the work for us.” Her attorney, Bryan Freedman, has made headlines with promises to sue Lively “into oblivion” and potentially target her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds.
Text messages cited in Lively’s complaint have become a central point of contention. Abel suggests Jones provided “cherry-picked” communications to Lively’s legal team, while Jones maintains the messages were obtained through court-ordered subpoenas from Abel’s devices.
“We know that Mr. Freedman would far prefer to try this case on television shows hosted by his own clients than in a courtroom,” said Maaren Shah, Jones’ attorney at Quinn Emanuel. “However, that doesn’t give him the right to wantonly disparage our client with wild claims that have nothing to do with the case he is allegedly defending.”
The scandal has exposed the often-murky world of Hollywood crisis management, revealing internal communications and strategic planning typically hidden from public view. Industry observers note the irony of PR professionals engaging in their own public relations battle, with both sides attempting to control the narrative through media appearances and strategic leaks.
As the legal proceedings advance, the dispute continues to reverberate through Hollywood, affecting productions and partnerships. Baldoni has lost podcast collaborations and seen feminist ally awards rescinded, while the industry has largely rallied behind Lively.
The complex web of lawsuits and counter-accusations shows no signs of resolution, with both sides preparing for protracted legal battles that promise to further expose the mechanisms of Hollywood’s PR machinery.
