Blake Lively’s claims that director and co-star Justin Baldoni launched a smear campaign against her have been supported by a new lawsuit filed by Baldoni’s former publicist.

Stephanie Jones, who has been representing Baldoni since 2017, filed the case on Tuesday in New York State Court in Manhattan.

According to the report, the actor and his film production firm, Wayfarer, extended their deal in 2020, agreeing to a $25,000 monthly fee.

The lawsuit said that Baldoni, 40, and Wayfarer teamed up with publicists last August, when the film was released, to try to “bury” and “destroy” Lively, fearing that reports of misogynistic and toxic on-set behavior while filming the love drama would ruin his reputation and career.

Jones requested unspecified damages from the defendants, including Jennifer Abel, a former employee who she claims was behind the campaign to harm Blake Lively and tarnish Jones’ reputation.

The lawsuit claims that Abel was fired after Jones discovered on August 21, 2024, that Abel had “stolen more than 70 proprietary and sensitive business documents and additional client leads” from Jones Works as she prepared to leave the firm to start her own publicity company, with Baldoni and Wayfarer as clients.

The lawsuit also claims that Abel collaborated with Melissa Nathan, a crisis management professional who previously represented actor Johnny Depp, in an attempt to influence and control media information damaging to Blake Lively and Jones.

Numerous text conversations included in the case were recovered from Abel’s corporate phone, which she returned to Jones Works after being fired, the Associated Press reported.

In response to a request for comment on Wednesday, Abel forwarded an email with screenshots of text communications between herself and Jones, as well as a July 26 email she sent to Jones, two weeks after declaring her intention to leave the company on August 23, 2024, during a Zoom call.

In the email, she said, in part: “I know this journey will not be easy, but I wish to keep you in my life as a mentor, friend, and close confidant because I honestly consider you family and would be lost without your support.

I want to assure you that, unlike others who have burnt you in the past, there is no ill will here.

She said further: “I have left a company before with grace and with my relationships intact, and that’s what I fully plan on, and hope for.”

Blake Lively, 37, filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department last week, a step that frequently precedes the filing of a lawsuit, alleging that Baldoni sought to harm her reputation after Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds addressed “repeated sexual harassment” by Baldoni and a film producer.

Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its reps, described the charges in Lively’s filing as “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.”

He denied Blake Lively’s claims of a planned effort, stating that the studio “proactively” employed a crisis manager “due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production.”

A message addressed to Freedman on Wednesday seeking comment on Jones’ lawsuit was not immediately returned.

“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s popular 2016 novel, defied box office estimates with a $50 million launch and eventual sales of $350 million.

Baldoni appeared in the telenovela parody “Jane the Virgin,” directed “Five Feet Apart,” and penned “Man Enough,” a book that challenges traditional ideals of masculinity.

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Brazilian researchers are investigating the potential of banana spider venom as a novel treatment for erectile dysfunction.

The Banana Spider’s venom, which is notorious for inducing painful, prolonged erections in its bite victims, is currently being employed to create a synthetic molecule that may provide relief for males who are affected by this condition.

Three decades ago, the Ezequiel Dias Foundation (FUNED) scientists initiated a study of the venom’s effects after observing that patients who were bitten by the arachnid frequently experienced priapism, a painful and persistent erection.

The molecule derived from the venom induces the release of nitric oxide, a critical chemical that enhances blood circulation and relaxes blood vessels, thereby enabling erections.

According to Maria Elena, a professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), this discovery could be particularly advantageous for men who have recently undergone prostate removal, a procedure that frequently results in erectile dysfunction.

The wandering or armed spider, also known as the banana spider, is one of the most venomous arachnids in the world.

Researchers are meticulously extracting its venom for medical purposes at banana plantations in South America, as well as in urban and rural regions of Brazil’s Minas Gerais state.

Brazil’s regulatory agency, Anvisa, has authorized the initial phase of clinical trials, as the treatment has demonstrated substantial potential.

The term “banana spider” is employed to refer to a variety of spiders that are frequently observed on banana plants. These consist of the venomous Brazilian wandering spider and a few innocuous species from the genus Cupiennius.

Although it is feasible that either of these parasites could enter Canada via banana shipments, the Cupiennius variety is more prevalent.

Banana Spider North America

Numerous householders confuse them with Brazilian wandering spiders, which possess comparable characteristics and deliver highly lethal bites. It frequently necessitates the assistance of an expert to differentiate between the two spider species.

It may be challenging for homeowners to identify banana spiders in their residences, as they do not produce webs. While transporting fruit, pests may be present on the exterior of bananas or within the containers that contain them.

Safety is always the most prudent course of action, despite the low probability of encountering a Brazilian wandering spider or banana spider in North America. Avoid touching or attempting to eliminate pests from fruit.

South and Central America are the habitats of Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders occasionally travel to other countries via produce shipments. For the most part, these parasites reside in the Amazon, where they encounter minimal human interaction.

Cupiennius banana spiders are more prevalent in Central America. While the likelihood of their exportation to North America on banana crops is minimal, it is not impossible. These pests remain concealed during the day and emerge at twilight. Banana spiders are most active during the initial three hours of the night.

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(VOR News) – BYD, the Chinese manufacturer, has released a statement addressing concerns concerning adverse conditions at a construction site in Brazil where the business is building a facility.

The assertion claims that the accusations aim to “discredit” China and its enterprises. At the week’s outset, a task force led by Brazilian prosecutors declared the rescue of 163 Chinese people subjected to conditions akin to slavery at the location.

The Labor Prosecutor’s Office recorded a video of the workers’ dormitories, which displayed beds lacking mattresses and rudimentary kitchen facilities.

BYD spokeswoman Li Yunfei strongly opposed the issue on Weibo.

The statement additionally condemned the media’s portrayal of the incident. “The statement indicated that foreign entities are intentionally maligning Chinese brands, disparaging China, and seeking to jeopardize the relationship between China and Brazil.”

BYD, an acronym for “Build Your Dreams,” is a prominent maker of electric automobiles globally. On Monday evening, the corporation declared its intention to “immediately terminate the contract” with the Jinjiang Group, the contractor responsible for the factory’s construction, and stated that it was “evaluating other suitable measures…”

BYD announced that the employees at Jinjiang will be accommodated in nearby hotels temporarily and that they will not suffer negative consequences from the decision to halt operations at their workplace.

The corporation announced that it had been altering the working conditions at the construction site in recent weeks and had notified its contractors that “adjustments” were necessary.

Li’s tweet on Weibo included what it said to be a “declaration” from the Chinese workers at the site. The tweet included a video depicting individuals seated together in a room. The men’s thumbprints were crimson.

The video depicted a worker articulating a statement asserting that allegations of impoverished and “slave-like” conditions violated their human rights and that these difficulties stemmed from misunderstandings.

BYD should continue our employment here.”

Upon completing his work, the employees applauded. Prosecutors asserted that the sanitation conditions at BYD’s site were notably inadequate. There was one toilet for every 31 workers, necessitating their rise at four in the morning to line up and be prepared for work by five thirty.

Brazilian law defines conditions akin to slavery as defined by the worker’s subjugation to coerced labor or excessive working hours, acceptance of deplorable working conditions, and limitations on the worker’s freedom of movement.

Brazilian officials reported that Jinjiang Construction Brazil confiscated the workers’ passports and retained sixty percent of their wages, in addition to the substandard living conditions imposed on the workers.

The labor office’s statement indicates that employees who resign must reimburse the corporation for their travel expenses to China and return ticket costs.

The employees’ statement indicates that the passports were taken to enable the corporation to file work permits and other procedures that the employees could not accomplish independently due to language barriers.

Jinjiang Construction Brazil has reported that it is undergoing “frequent and intensive inspections by the BYD local labor department in Brazil.”

The labor department’s disclosed information was characterized as false, particularly the claims that the Jinjiang laborers were ‘enslaved’ and ‘rescued,’ which are entirely contradictory to the facts. This arose from cultural disparities, BYD translation difficulties, and comprehension difficulties regarding the content.

A declaration was issued asserting that the staff were enthusiastic about engaging with the media on the topic.

In numerous regions of the developing globe, the living conditions of migrant construction workers might be exceedingly inadequate. Moreover, such labor occasionally entails contracts that compel workers to reimburse BYD substantial sums of money expended to secure their positions, despite legal prohibitions against such agreements.

SOURCE: AP

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