In recent years, at least five women have filed lawsuits describing malicious public relations campaigns intended to destroy their reputations. While the lawsuits differ, they all claim the smear campaigns were carried out through anonymous websites, fabricated social media posts or promotion of unflattering articles and posts on the internet. They describe a new lane in the field of crisis management where public relations, legal services and the dark web converge.\n\nThe highest-profile lawsuit came from the actress Blake Lively, who said a campaign was waged against her in 2024 in retaliation for accusing the actor Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. Mr. Baldoni denied the claims and filed a countersuit, which was dismissed. Ms. Lively settled earlier this year with no payout of damages, but Mr. Baldoni was required to pay her more than $400,000 in attorney’s fees.
In her lawsuit, Ms. Lively described a coordinated social media campaign orchestrated by three businesspeople — a Los Angeles lawyer, a New York publicist and a Texas digital strategist.\n\nTo examine the allegations, The New York Times interviewed more than 60 people, reviewed court documents and chat transcripts, and analyzed hundreds of anonymous websites and fabricated social media profiles. A pattern emerged. The campaigns were launched within months of each other and were designed to be untraceable, but digital bread crumbs remained.
The lawyer, Bryan Freedman; the publicist, Melissa Nathan; and the digital strategist, Jed Wallace, have dismissed the allegations as defamation and harassment, and in several cases have countersued to clear their names.\n\nThe women who have sued describe the shaming campaigns as an internet wrecking ball, forever changing how the public views them. “I don’t know who to trust anymore,” said Paige Jimenez, a model and chef who was targeted by a campaign in October 2024 and filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday evening. “It’s a really lonely life.”.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing