13h 41min, aug 16, 2024 y - Upside Down Smile Emoji Text - Blake PR Smear

Description:

Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan (Baldoni's PR) shared a text message which Lively insinuates as proof of a smear campaign.

Baldoni claims in his lawsuit that the fact Lively removed an upside down smile emoji removes the true meaning of the message, i.e., Abel and Nathan didn't do anything since the public organically negatively reacted to Lively's promotion for 'It Ends With Us'. Abel and Nathan were joking as if they had done it. They then express worry that people will think that they did in fact plant negative stories in the news.

Baldoni:
"8. The Article is predicated on Lively’s CRD Complaint, which references text exchanges
between Nathan and Abel as purported evidence that Nathan planted a negative story in the Daily Mail titled “Is Blake Lively set to be CANCELLED?” Lively’s portrayal is categorically false, misleading, and devoid of factual basis, yet knowingly endorsed by the Times, which claimed to have reviewed " thousands of pages of text messages and emails.” The “smear campaign” hinges on an August 16th text exchange in which Nathan allegedly shared a link to this article with Abel. The text exchange
shows Abel responding, "Wow," followed by, "You really outdid yourself with this one," to which Nathan allegedly replied, "That’s why you hired me, right? I’m the best." These messages constitute the entirety of the purported evidence underlying the allegation of a “smear campaign” orchestrated on behalf of Baldoni. "

"9. The Times, however, was aware that these text messages were unscrupulously altered and selectively edited, enabling both Lively and her team and the Times to propagate a false “smear campaign” narrative designed to destroy Plaintiffs. Specifically, in the immediately preceding text exchange on August 16th, Nathan forwarded a screenshot of a message from a reporter informing her, for the first time, of the Daily Mail article. In response, Nathan wrote, "Damn. This is not fair because it’s also not me," followed by, "Everything now looks like it’s me," conclusively refuting her involvement in the creation or dissemination of the article."

"10. Further evidence of the Times’ complicity arises from its apparent endorsement of the criminal alteration of these text messages by Lively. After Nathan forwarded a screenshot of the article link, Abel responded with, "You really outdid yourself with this piece _," adding a “_” to indicate the sarcastic nature of her message. The “_” emoji is commonly used to convey irony, sarcasm, joking, or a sense of goofiness or silliness"

(see page 6 - 8 of Baldoni lawsuit)


Lively insinuates that this text chain provides evidence of a PR smear campaign:

"On August 16, Ms. Nathan circulated a Daily Mail article entitled, “Is Blake
Lively set to be CANCELLED? String of ‘hard to watch’ videos that have surfaced following ‘tone
deaf’ Q&A to promote It Ends With Us could tarnish 36-year-old star’s golden Hollywood image for good,” to which Ms. Abel responded: “Wow. You really outdid yourself with this piece,” and Ms. Nathan replied: “That’s why you hired me right ? I’m the best.”"
(see Lively lawsuit page 12)

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