Melissa Nathan and Jed Wallace linked to clandestine smear machine
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 30
Melissa Nathan and Jed Wallace linked to clandestine smear machine
10 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 30
The network emerged from litigation tied to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's It Ends with Us dispute, which is heading to a May jury trial in Manhattan federal court.
Court filings and forensic claims allege anonymous websites and bots were used to damage opponents in disputes involving Rebel Wilson, Scooter Braun, Andrew Huberman and others.
Bryan Freedman denies involvement and disputes the forensic evidence, while the scandal has widened scrutiny of reputational sabotage as a pressure tactic alongside entertainment-industry litigation.
With AI creating 'deepfake stories' and untraceable bots, is anyone's reputation safe from the new digital underworld?
As a secret 'playbook' for digital assassination is exposed, how deep does this smear-for-hire industry actually run?
When powerful lawyers are tied to smear campaigns, can the legal system effectively police its own influential players?