Here's how Blake Lively obtained controversial texts in her lawsuit from Justin Baldoni's PR team

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Blake Lively recently filed a bombshell lawsuit against her ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and launching a ‘smear campaign’ intended to ‘bury’ her.

Lively, 37, shocked her fans when she filed a lawsuit against the actor, substantiated by a flurry of text messages between Baldoni and his PR team. Ever since the lawsuit was filed, Internet has been rattled by speculations regarding how the ‘Gossip Girl’ actress obtained those texts. 

While in the original complaint, it was written, "Ms. Lively obtained the communications set forth in this Complaint through legal process, including a civil subpoena,” the source of the text messages was not revealed.

Blake Lively substantiated her complaint with text messages

Blake Lively’s bombshell complaint captured the imagination of fans regarding the source of private texts that would otherwise not have seen the light of day. On Monday, the actress’s lawyers revealed that they obtained the messages via a subpoena to Jonesworks LLC - Baldoni’s PR firm. 

According to Variety, the process started in August, soon after the release of the film, when on August 21, Jonesworks founder Stephanie Jones called publicist Jen Abel to ask her to submit her work phone and sign some documents. 

It is noteworthy that both Jones and Abel worked in the matter of Baldoni’s image control and PR. However, Jones somehow came to know that Abel was planning to leave her organization and start her own firm. 

Jones, however, did not meet Abel in person, instead, the meeting was conducted by her chief of staff. 

Previously, Business Insider reported that whenever Jones caught wind of any of her employees’ leaving, she “did not always let them go easily.” 

Nevertheless, four months later, when New York Times published a story on Lively’s lawsuit, text messages from Abel’s phone were laid bare on the broadsheet. 

While it was reported that Lively’s lawyers obtained the messages via a subpoena to Jonesworks LLC, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman refuted the claim. 

Freedman -- who not only represents Baldoni, but also Abel, the ‘Jane the Virgin’ actor’s crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, his Wayfarer Studios and others involved in the case -- shared that none of his clients were subpoenaed over the matter. He further added that he planned to sue Jones. 

Freedman added, “If all of the text messages were produced in that ‘subpoena,’ then Lively’s team knows the true facts of what actually happened and did not happen.”

“The truth is completely different than what has been portrayed in the complaint and they know that,” claimed the lawyer before adding, “The complete set of text messages unequivocally show that there was no smear campaign initiated at all which is why certain texts are incomplete and other texts, which tell the truth, are purposefully excluded.”

What is Stephanie Jones’ role in the whole affair?

Amid all the crises, Stephanie Jones’ role in the matter offers a curious perspective. 

Jones’ attorney, Kristin Tahler, claimed recently that she is being made a “scapegoat” in the affair after she simply responded to a subpoena.

Tahler said, “Desperate to shift attention away from their disgraceful sliming of Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni’s team is doubling down on their smears by going after someone who had nothing whatsoever to do with this ugly campaign.”

“Having pushed Steph Jones out of her long-standing business with Baldoni, Jen Abel and Melissa Nathan are now looking to scapegoat Steph for having the temerity to respond to a court-ordered subpoena,” noted the attorney. 

She continued, “Unfortunately for them, Steph won’t be bullied – even by paternalistic threats of being sued into oblivion. To quote Nathan herself, ‘it just shows you have [SIC] people really want to hate on women.’”

However, it is deeper than that, as the outlet revealed that while Jones does not find a single mention in the complaint, Melissa Nathan’s PR firm - Tag PR - found 88 mentions. 

Variety further noted that after Abel submitted her phone, the device was in possession of Jones herself. Moreover, it is also noteworthy that Jones is married to Jason Hodes - a partner at the talent agency WME. 

WME recently came into the news after they dropped Baldoni from their client list after the complaint was lodged. Additionally, the agency also represents Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. 

Though Jones’ involvement in the entire case is still unclear, it should be mentioned that on August 14, Jones sent a detailed email to several Wayfarer executives to plan for “alternate stories” in their campaign. 

She suggested that Baldoni should “Prepare Alternate Stories**,” adding, “We should mobilize a robust network of supporters and third-party advocates ready to counter these narratives on deep background as well as some on the record, making it clear that the claims being made are untrue and unfounded.”