AceShowbiz - Justin Baldoni's former publicist, Jennifer Abel, has reportedly left the firm Jonesworks and founded her own company amidst allegations of "bullying" and workplace conflict. The drama follows a defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni's ex-publicist against Abel and others, including Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and crisis manager Melissa Nathan.

According to sources close to Abel, she quit Jonesworks over alleged bullying by Stephanie Jones, her former partner, towards another colleague. Abel's resignation letter and text messages obtained by TheWrap indicate that she resigned on July 10 due to the conflict.

However, Jones claims in her lawsuit that Abel was fired on August 21 after being caught stealing documents and contacting clients to pave the way for her departure. Abel denies the allegations and maintains that her exit was a voluntary resignation.

The resignation letter, dated roughly a month before the release of "It Ends With Us", a film in which Baldoni co-starred with Lively, does not specify the conflicts between Able and Jones. However, its timing coincides with a period of escalating tensions between Baldoni and Lively, which culminated in Lively filing a lawsuit alleging harassment and a smear campaign engineered by Baldoni.

The lawsuit alleges that Abel's phone, returned to Jonesworks, contained messages revealing the smear campaign against Lively. Abel claims her phone was confiscated by Jonesworks with the help of a lawyer and security guard on August 21, which she is investigating.

Despite the allegations, Abel insists that she left Jonesworks voluntarily and did not steal any clients. She claims that the clients who followed her to her new firm were her long-time clients from before her time at Jonesworks.

The ongoing legal battles and allegations of misconduct have exposed the behind-the-scenes conflicts surrounding the production of "It Ends With Us" and the subsequent controversy involving its stars. The fallout from the smear campaign and alleged bullying have created a cloud over the film's release and raised questions about the conduct of those involved.