After Allegations Of Planting Stories Against Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively's Publicist Issued A Statement
By now, you're more than likely aware of Blake Lively's legal filing against It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment, as well as accusations of Justin running a digital smear campaign to hurt Blake's career.
The fallout from the legal filing has been extensive. Over the past week and a half, Justin was dropped by the talent agency previously representing him, and his podcast co-host Liz Plank stepped away from their podcast The Man Enough.
In a statement to the New York Times, Justin's lawyer Bryan Freedman alleged that Blake planted “negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media” against Justin, which was a reason why Justin's studio Wayfarer Studios "made the decision to hire a crisis professional" last summer. Bryan has also since threatened to sue over leaked texts related to the allegations.
In response to allegations that there were stories planted to damage Justin's career, Blake's publicist Leslie Sloane issued a statement to People saying the claims were "false."
"I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received, regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us,” Leslie told the publication in a statement.
Melissa Nathan is a crisis PR professional who was named in Blake's legal filing as an alleged participant in Justin's alleged smear campaign.)
“After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints. When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.”
Wayfarer is Justin's production company, which is also named in Blake's legal filing.
“It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false,” Leslie said. According to People, her statement also urged those following the accusations to read Blake's original complaint, “which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”
You can read more about the details of Blake's legal filing against Justin right here.
Solve the daily Crossword
