Blake Lively’s publicist addresses allegations of planting stories

Blake Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane has hit back at allegations about her planting stories amid It Ends With Us press tour.

Lively’s publicist has denied claims made ahead of Justin Baldoni’s upcoming counter-lawsuit as his attorney Bryan Freedman announced the suit will also reveal allegations Sloane planted in the press to defame Baldoni.

In response, Sloane has said she did not initiate any stories about HR complaints made during the filming and was rather informed that the press had learned of them through a relative of a member of Baldoni’s PR team.

“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,” the publicist said in a recent statement to People Magazine.

It is pertinent to mention that Baldoni’s crisis rep Melissa Nathan was named in Lively’s lawsuit and accused of participation in the alleged effort to tarnish Lively’s reputation earlier this year.

She continued, “After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints,” Sloane continued. “When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.”

“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,” the publicist went on.

She also urged people to read both Lively’s complaint and the complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones (the latter who formerly employed Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel).

For those unversed, Lively is suing her It Ends With Us director and costar Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and ploying to defame her.

In turn, Baldoni’s lawyer confirmed to Deadline on December 28 that plans to follow a countersuit are in the works.

“I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” Freedman announced.

“It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation,” he added.

Baldoni’s counter-lawsuit will address the subpoenaed messages included in Lively’s complaint, per a Daily Mail report that further claimed those messages were presented out of context and Lively’s filing was a ploy for damage control after the negative press she received during press tour.

The court battle comes months after the rumours of a feud between Baldoni and Lively broke the internet amid the film’s press tour.