Justin Baldoni PR Rep Files Counterclaims Against Ex-Boss … Calls Out ‘Bitter Revenge’ Ploy
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Justin Baldoni‘s PR rep Jennifer Abel is firing back at her former boss, Stephanie Jones, with her own lawsuit … after being sued by SJ in December.
Abel has hired Baldoni’s powerhouse lawyer Bryan Freedman, who accuses Stephanie of triggering the whole legal drama between Justin and Blake Livelyinvolving their film, “It Ends with Us.”
TMZ.com
Freedman filed the counterclaims on Abel’s behalf against Jones — who’s the CEO of the PR company Jonesworks, which still represents Justin.
In a statement, Freedman tells TMZ … “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.”
Freedman says Stephanie is “no stranger to stirring up crisis scenarios for departing clients,” accusing her of maliciously turning over “communications from the phone she wrongfully took from her own partner to her cohort Leslie Sloane, immediately after Jones was terminated for cause by Wayfarer due to her own wrongful behavior.” Leslie, of course, is Blake’s PR rep, who has also been sued by Baldoni.
TMZ.com
Freedman goes on to say Lively “walked right into Ms. Jones’ ploy of bitter revenge against her most-trusted employee at the expense of her own long-term client.”
The attorney ended with … “We will not stop until our clients are cleared of all wrongdoing and compensated for the vast damages that they have incurred.”
In the new court docs, filed Thursday, Abel responds to Jones’ lawsuit against her, Baldoni, and Baldoni’s PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan … Abel makes a bunch of counterclaims, including invasion of privacy, false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
As you know … Baldoni has filed a few major lawsuits in recent months — including the massive $400 million lawsuit he and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, filed against Blake, Ryan Reynolds and Leslie Sloane.
In the suit, Baldoni claims the three started a smear campaign against him to take control of the movie “It Ends with Us.”
Lively filed suit first against Baldoni in December, claiming he sexually harassed her on the movie set and later embarked on a targeted smear campaign against her in the media.
TMZ.com
Kristin Tahler, partner at Quinn Emmanuel, who’s representing Jones, tells TMZ … “Ms. Jones’ lawsuit is based entirely on facts and concrete evidence. That suit clearly shows that Jen Abel conspired with Melissa Nathan and others to steal reams of confidential documents, clients and staff and eventually attempt to destroy the business that Ms. Jones spent decades building.”
She continues, “Abel, Nathan, Baldoni and their co-defendants attempted to achieve these outcomes through bullying distortion and outright disparagement. These facts are backed up by dozens of messages provided in the suit we filed month ago and cannot be credibly disputed.
Tahler concludes with … “Having no facts or evidence, we see a familiar playbook — smear our client, culminating in the work of fiction masquerading as the counterclaims that were filed yesterday.”
Alleged ‘Gangbang’ Teacher Husband Files For Divorce
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The husband of the Indiana teacher charged with sexually abusing children by allegedly asking them to gangbang her while wearing “Scream” masks is taking a stab at a new life … because he filed for divorce.
Brittany Fortinberry is the 31-year-old former high school teacher who is facing a slew of child sex abuse charges … and legal docs obtained by TMZ reveal her husband, Nicholas Fortinberry, filed for divorce back in February when a police investigation was just getting started.
As we reported … Brittany is accused of sexually abusing multiple junior high students she met at two different schools. Cops say she would ply the kids with alcohol and magic mushrooms before having sex with them, including one alleged instance where she orchestrated an orgy that had the boys wearing masks from the “Scream” movie franchise.
In separate court docs, police say one of the boy’s parents told cops Brittany’s husband “knew about things” and threatened to “slaughter” one of the kids if he came forward.
Police say the parent also told cops Nic approached one of the boys and told him “that it needed to stop until he was of age” and “how disgusting it was.”
The docs say police talked to the parent on Feb. 24 … and Brittany’s husband beelined it to court the following day and filed for divorce after 4 years of marriage.
Nic says they got hitched Nov. 11, 2020 and he lists Feb. 21, 2025 as the date of separation. He says they have a 4-year-old child who was born before they got married and he’s seeking temporary custody of the kid and temporary possession of their family home.
Trina’s Husband Arrested ‘Love & Hip Hop’ Star Fractured Pedestrian’s Nose … Miami Cops Say
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Trina‘s husband and “Love & Hip Hop: Miami ” costar Benjamin Leon Kearse Jr., AKA Swurv, was recently arrested for battery — over a punch cops say happened nearly 2 years ago!!!
TMZ Hip Hop obtained the police report detailing Kearse’s March 20 arrest in Miami … according to the docs, a man claimed he was crossing the street back in July 2023 when Kearse’s black Dodge Charger stopped abruptly in front of a stop sign, causing his hand to strike Kearse’s trunk.
The man told cops Kearse called out to him over it, but when the guy approached the vehicle to explain the situation, he says Kearse grew irate and aggressive and eventually trailed him to a nearby residence.
The alleged victim says Kearse approached him on foot and punched him multiple times, fracturing his nose.
Police later obtained surveillance footage of the altercation and determined the man’s statement added up.
After speaking to Kearse, cops hauled him off to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center for booking.
We reached out to Trina for comment, but so far, no word back!!!
The Diamond Princess and Kearse got hitched back in May 2024. Unclear if this case will screw up any anniversary plans.
OnlyFans Model Arrested Cops Say Mom Killed Man In BDSM Session …. With Saran Wrap
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An OnlyFans model charged with killing a man during BDSM roleplay apparently kept up dueling appearances online … on one account she appeared to be a regular doting mother and on the other, she was a kinky fetishist.
Michaela Rylaarsdam — an adult entertainer, wife, and mother of three — has been charged with murder … authorities in California say she fatally suffocated a man who hired her to come to his Escondido home and perform BDSM acts for $11,000.
Rylaarsdam had a public Instagram up until news of her February arrest broke, and on her page, she proudly showed off her husband, Brandon Rylaarsdam, and their three kids with innocent posts … which starkly contrasts with her other online presence, where she seems to have marketed herself as a seasoned sex worker.
She went by Asshley SinCal on OnlyFans, TikTok and X … and cops say she sat by and filmed content with a vibrator while her alleged victim, Michael Dale, suffocated to death with a plastic bag, Saran Wrap, and duct tape sealed around his head.
Cops say Dale found Rylaarsdam on a website where escorts advertise services, and paid her more than $11,000 to come to his home in April 2023 for a BDSM session.
Police say Rylaarsdam told them Dale appeared intoxicated when she arrived at his place in the San Diego area at 6 PM, but she proceeded with the session and spent several hours performing fetish acts on him … including wrapping him in Saran Wrap “like a mummy” and gluing women’s boots to his feet. Cops say she later called 911 and told officers it was her first time doing BDSM.
Law enforcement says there’s no evidence Dale ever requested Rylaarsdam secure a bag over his head … and she’s now charged with murder and has pled not guilty.
The Rylaarsdams gave off the vibe of a happy family on Instagram … but her other accounts linked to the couple’s company, SinCal Entertainment, said otherwise — where they bragged about running the top adult party service in California, with strippers and topless bartenders available for hire for all sorts of occasions.
On their website, Michaela brags that she “locked herself in her son’s nursery” and created the business after growing tired of working with other adult entertainment agencies.