Who is Justin Baldoni’s ex-publicist Stephanie Jones – and why is he suing her? Her other clients have included Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady and The Rock, and the actor claims she was relying on a psychic

Justin Baldoni and one of his crisis PR team Jennifer Abel are both suing his former publicist Stephanie Jones, claiming she “maliciously” leaked the text messages that sparked the legal battle with his It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively, according to Variety. “It is undeniable that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of events by violating the most basic of privacy rights, as well as any remaining trust her clients held,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman explained in a statement to Variety. “No stranger to stirring up crisis scenarios for departing clients, Ms Jones maliciously turned over communications from the phone she wrongfully took from her own partner [Abel] to her cohort, [Lively’s personal publicist] Leslie Sloane, immediately after Jones was terminated for cause by Wayfarer due to her own wrongful behaviour.” Jones represented Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, last summer. Abel worked as Jones’ partner at Jonesworks PR. In December, Jones reportedly sued Baldoni and a number of others over defamation and breach of contract, per Forbes. The news comes amid Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s bruising and complex ongoing legal battles following the release of their controversial film, It Ends with Us. In December, Lively sued Baldoni, his PR team and Wayfarer Studios, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, which Baldoni denies. The following month, Baldoni responded with a lawsuit of his own suing Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times over defamation and extortion. Here’s what we know about Stephanie Jones. Stephanie Jones is the president of PR company Jonesworks Jones is the president of PR firm Jonesworks – an “an award-winning, full-service communications, marketing and management agency representing an elite roster of talent lifestyle and consumer brands,” as seen on LinkedIn. Jones has previously held roles as the vice-president of public relations at ad agency Deutsch, and producer and PR for NBC Universal, according to her Facebook page. She has Southern roots Although there isn’t much information about her upbringing in the public realm, Jones’ private Instagram account notes that she has “Southern roots” and is based in New York City. She has represented some big-name clients Jones has brought in a long list of high-profile clients over the years, from Tom Brady and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Venus Williams and Jeff Bezos, per Business Insider. However one Puck report stated that Jones is also an “erratic screamer” and had recently lost several clients in an exodus, including Johnson and Bezos’ partner, Lauren Sánchez. Baldoni’s lawsuit portrays Jones as becoming increasingly paranoid amid the negative press around her, adds Variety. It notes that Jones, who was relying on a psychic, went on to plot a revenge campaign against Baldoni and Abel as they were making plans to leave Jonesworks. The firm’s reviews on Glassdoor, a website that allows current and former employees to anonymously review companies, don’t look great either. With an average 2.5 out of five star rating, comments such as “the most toxic environment I’ve ever worked in” and “work-life balance does not exist” are common. The only positive reviews tend to focus on the nevertheless “wonderful and talented” staff, including one former employee noting that they “met some amazing people that I’m now trauma bonded to”. Though the claims are anonymous and therefore can’t be verified, most of the reviews predate the Baldoni-Lively scandal. Her PR firm has multiple branches Jonesworks operates across the US. It has a presence in New York, Austin and Los Angeles, notes its website. She is a mother As seen on her Facebook profile, Jones is married with children. She has shared a number of photos of herself and her two children in the past, as well as her husband, Jason Hodes. Variety revealed that in an added twist, Hodes is a partner at the talent agency WME – which represents Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.