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.
The 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.
To 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 same language echoed across multiple websites, and invisible links drove traffic back and forth among them. Text messages and legal depositions filed as part of lawsuits support the allegations that all three individuals were working together.
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.
The Times sent detailed requests for comment to Ms. Nathan, Mr. Wallace and Mr. Freedman.
“Allegations are not facts and these allegations are neither truthful nor accurate,” Mr. Freedman wrote in an emailed response. “Just like the Blake Lively matter, anyone asserting this nonsense will end up with nothing.”
Ms. Nathan and Mr. Wallace did not respond. The 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.”