Defamation Battle Alive: Judge Supports Justin Baldoni’s Production Co.
Justin Baldoni & Team
Judge Approves Defamation Lawsuit Against Ex-Publicist
Published
March 26, 2026
3:49 PM PDT
The legal dispute between Justin Baldoni’s team and his former publicist Stephanie Jones is intensifying, as a federal judge has ruled that Baldoni’s production company’s defamation claim can proceed … according to TMZ.
As per court documents obtained by TMZ, the judge has allowed the defamation claims filed by Wayfarer against Stephanie to move forward.
Wayfarer alleges that Stephanie made false statements to individuals — including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Blake’s publicist Leslie Sloane — claiming that Wayfarer retaliated against Blake and others for reporting alleged sexual misconduct and initiated a smear campaign against her.
Justin’s company asserts that Stephanie’s claims were false and damaging to its reputation … and the judge found that Justin and his team had presented sufficient evidence to allow the case to proceed.
A representative for Wayfarer stated to TMZ, “We’re pleased with the Court’s decision to deny Stephanie Jones’ attempt to dismiss Wayfarer’s lawsuit and to allow our core claims, including defamation and bad faith conduct, to move forward.”
TMZ.com
“As alleged in Wayfarer’s counterclaims, after being notified of her contract termination, Stephanie Jones of Jonesworks turned against her longtime client, sharing internal communications and promoting false allegations that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties orchestrated a so-called ‘smear campaign.’ The Court rejected her effort to dismiss these claims, allowing them to proceed as serious allegations that deserve examination based on the facts, including her acting in bad faith by misusing internal information and communications. This is not a minor dispute.”
In December 2024, Stephanie — Baldoni’s former publicist — sued the director’s company Wayfarer and publicist Jennifer Abel. Jennifer worked for Stephanie and managed Baldoni’s account.
Stephanie claimed breach of contract. Wayfarer and Jennifer subsequently countersued, alleging that Stephanie took text messages from her phone and shared information from those communications with Blake and her publicist, Leslie Sloane.
