In the midst of a scandal involving filmmaker Justin Baldoni and his alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively, his publicist Jennifer Abel is setting the record straight. Lively has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, accusing him of inappropriate behavior on and off set. However, Baldoni denies these accusations and claims that Lively herself caused issues during filming.
Abel’s text exchanges with crisis management expert Melissa Nathan were leaked, revealing their discussions about handling the situation. Abel defended these exchanges on Facebook, stating that they were mainly jokes about fan reactions to the feud and did not involve any negative actions against Lively. She emphasized that they were prepared for any scenario but ultimately did not need to take any overt actions against the actress.
Abel also explained that Lively’s team had been spreading false stories about Baldoni, leading them to bring on a crisis team for support. She stood by her client, citing evidence that countered the allegations against him. Attorney Bryan Freedman, who represents Baldoni, Abel, and Nathan, defended their actions as typical crisis management measures in response to threats from powerful individuals.
The leaked messages between Abel and Nathan revealed discussions about showing strength in dealing with the situation. Despite the leaked texts, Abel clarified that they were not subpoenaed and hinted at a possible connection to her previous firm, Jonesworks, where she was still employed during the campaign.
Lively’s lawsuit also included details of inappropriate conduct on set, leading to demands from her team in order to resume production. Despite the ongoing legal battle, Freedman continues to deny the accusations, calling them false and malicious attempts to tarnish Baldoni’s reputation.
Since the lawsuit became public, Baldoni has been dropped by his representatives at WME. The situation continues to unfold, with both sides presenting their arguments in the media.
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