A federal judge has ruled that Justin Baldoni's production company Wayfarer can move forward with its defamation claims against former publicist Stephanie Jones, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. The decision denies Jones' motion to dismiss the countersuit amid ongoing legal drama.
Oh honey, the It Ends With Us legal saga just got spicier! 👀 A federal judge ruled Thursday that Wayfarer Studios—Justin Baldoni's production company—can proceed with its defamation and bad faith claims against ex-publicist Stephanie Jones, per court docs snagged by TMZ. Published March 26, 2026, the ruling keeps the tea brewing hot. Wayfarer alleges Jones spilled false statements to Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lively's publicist Leslie Sloane, claiming the company retaliated against Blake for reporting alleged sexual misconduct and launched a smear campaign against her. Baldoni's team calls it all bogus and reputation-ruining. Back in December 2024, Jones sued Wayfarer and publicist Jennifer Abel—who handled Baldoni's account under Jones—for breach of contract. Wayfarer and Abel fired back, accusing Jones of swiping texts from her phone and leaking them to Lively's camp. A Wayfarer rep dished 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.” They went harder: “As alleged in Wayfarer’s counterclaims, after being notified that her contract would be terminated, Stephanie Jones of Jonesworks turned against her longtime client, sharing internal communications and pushing 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 to be examined on the facts, including that she acted in bad faith by misusing internal information and communications. This is not a minor dispute.” Messy much? With discovery looming, will more texts drop? Spill it, court! 🔥
