Star publicist Stephanie Jones was vilified final yr for “leaking” her former worker’s texts — which revealed the alleged plot to smear Blake Energetic — to the New York Occasions, allegedly to punish the staffer for planning to steal shoppers.
However Web page Six has gotten maintain of a subpoena that proves that Jones — who reps Scooter Braun and Tom Brady amongst others — didn’t plant the messages to bury her fellow flack, however was really ordered at hand over the texts by a court docket.
Jones and her firm, Jonesworks, repped “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni and his manufacturing firm, Wayfarer Studios. Jonesworks accomplice, Jen Abel, dealing with their account.
When a blockbuster Occasions story got here out final yr claiming that Abel and Baldoni had cooked up a plot to discredit his co-star Energetic to undermine her claims that he mistreated her on set (which he has staunchly denied), it was extensively believed that Jones had taken the messages from Abel’s cellphone and handed them alongside to the newspaper.
In considered one of a slew of lawsuits and countersuits which have emerged because the story was printed, Baldoni claimed that as his feud with Energetic started to hit the press in August final yr, the connection between Jones and Abel deteriorated quickly and that Jones fired Abel “out of the blue,” “seizing her cellphone, and marching her out of the Jonesworks Los Angeles workplace.”
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman later stated, “Ms. Jones maliciously turned over communications from the cellphone she wrongfully took from her personal accomplice.”
The swimsuit additionally claimed that Jones feared that Abel would attempt to poach different Jonesworks shoppers.
However on Thursday, Jones filed a response claiming that she turned over the texts solely as a result of she recieved a subpoena. (Web page Six has reviewed the subpoena).
It’s as but unclear how the texts made it from the individuals who served the subpoena to the Occasions.
Jones’ response claims, “First, there was no leak. … Data was produced pursuant to a subpoena. Wayfarer’s willfully avoids this actuality to advance its publicity looking for leak narrative however they can’t change the subpoena.”
The case is predicted to make it to the courtroom someday subsequent yr.
