A complete timeline of the messy legal drama that led to bridal designer Hayley Paige's sudden exit from JLM Couture

Hayley Paige — whose full name is Hayley Paige Gutman — began her journey to becoming a household bridal designer in 2011, when she signed an employment contract with JLM Couture.

Gutman's agreement with JLM granted the company "the exclusive world-wide right and license to use her name 'Hayley', 'Paige', 'Hayley Paige Gutman', 'Hayley Gutman', 'Hayley Paige', or any derivative thereof [...] in connection with the design, manufacture, marketing and/or sale of bridal clothing, bridal accessories, and related bridal and wedding items," according to a December 2020 complaint filed by the company's attorneys and reviewed by Insider.

Gutman said in a recent Instagram video that she was 25 when she signed the agreement and did not have a lawyer review the contract.

According to the "About" page for the @misshayleypaige Instagram, the account was created on April 6, 2012. (Two years later, in 2014, a Pinterest with the @misshayleypaige handle was also created, according to JLM's complaint.)

Gutman said she created the Instagram account in a press release provided to Insider and a video posted to a separate Instagram account. In a press release provided to Insider, however, a JLM representative said the account was intended to be a professional account "to promote the Hayley Paige bridal collections."

"It always was, and currently is, owned by the company – just as every company owns and controls its own brands and branded social media accounts," the press release said.

Gutman, however, maintains that her social-media accounts were never part of her 2011 agreement with JLM, with a spokesperson for the designer telling Insider "the Instagram account was started as a personal account" and that "a substantial amount of the content in this account has always been personal in nature."

"This and the other social media accounts in question have never been subject to JLM's control," the same representative said. "Indeed, what JLM has not told you is that my client's employment agreement with them gives them absolutely no rights to the subject Instagram account. In fact, the agreement made no mention at all of social media at all."

But JLM believes social media does fall under Gutman's contractual obligations, with a company rep telling Insider in a statement: "JLM does not agree with Hayley's opinion concerning her obligations and responsibilities or JLM's rights under the relevant employment agreement."

Gutman's popularity grew rapidly over the years since her account was first created, in part due to her exposure on TLC's "Say Yes To The Dress" and the spin-off "Say Yes to America" from 2015 to 2019.

In the complaint, JLM claims it was responsible for Gutman's growing fame, as Murphy arranged for Gutman to appear on the show because of "his connection at Kleinfeld Bridal, one of JLM's biggest customers and the location where 'Say Yes To The Dress' is taped."

Gutman joined TikTok — using the @misshayleypaige handle — on November 2, 2019, according to JLM's complaint.

The designer used the platform to post personal videos alongside bridal content. A screenshot of the page's most recent posts show videos of Gutman's dog, her fiancé, and Hayley Paige gowns.

JLM alleged that the mixed style of posts "did not properly represent the HP brands" in the December 2020 complaint its attorneys filed against Gutman, adding that people who follow Hayley Paige-branded social-media accounts "do so because they want to follow JLM's Hayley Paige Brand designer wedding gown collection."

"Joe Murphy advised Gutman that she should post JLM approved content on the Tik Tok account, rather than posting personal images," JLM's complaint against Gutman said.

The company's complaint said that rather than complying, Gutman retaliated, changing the password to the @misshayleypaige account to prevent JLM from accessing it.

At the same time, Gutman and JLM entered into discussions about a new contract, with use of the name "Hayley Paige" at the center of many of the negotiations, according to JLM's complaint.

JLM "believed that Gutman's decision to take over the Main IG Account [@misshayleypaige] was a negotiation tactic to obtain leverage" as she renegotiated her contract with the company, the complaint said.

Gutman changed the bio of the @misshayleypaige Instagram account to read "Personal & Creative account" and "removed reference to JLM" at the end of 2019, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges that the bio changes marked Gutman's attempt to "assert control over JLM's property," which led her to post more non-bridal related content to the Instagram account.

When Gutman and Murphy discussed her use of the social-media page, she told him that "it was her position that the Main IG Account was her personal account," the complaint said.

"Gutman's position regarding the ownership of the Main IG Account was not only new, but Gutman at all times previously mentioned [she] understood that the Main IG account was JLM's properly [sic] and acted accordingly," the complaint went on to say.

Gutman denied these allegations in both a statement to Insider and her recent Instagram video, asserting that the account has always been hers, pointing to personal announcements she made on the page, such as that of her engagement.

In the summer of 2020, Gutman was not only sharing personal posts to the page but also posts dedicated to products that were not sold by JLM, according to the company's complaint.

The posts advertised "the goods of third parties, such as olive oil, beer and nutritional supplements, none of which were approved by JLM," the complaint said. In October 2020, Gutman posted a giveaway for the avocado oil brand Chosen Foods on the @misshayleypaige account (pictured above).

The complaint alleges that Gutman was "paid for these endorsements, and therefore has profited off the substantial investment made by JLM at JLM's expense." The complaint said JLM spent millions of advertising dollars on expanding the Hayley Paige-branded social-media accounts.

According to the complaint, Murphy and Gutman met in October 2020 at Kleinfeld Bridal to discuss her use of the @misshayleypaige Instagram account.

During the meeting, the complaint said Murphy expressed to Gutman that it was "her duty to the company to include links to the JLM website," and Gutman re-added links to both JLM and Hearts on Fire, another JLM brand, to the bio of the page the following day.

On November 3, Murphy informed Gutman on behalf of JLM that it would not give her ownership rights to the @misshayleypaige Instagram account after they reached a new agreement, according to the complaint.

JLM's complaint alleges that "in a fit of anger" after hearing that the company wouldn't give her ownership of the Instagram account, Gutman removed both links to JLM and Hearts on Fire from the @misshayleypaige page.

She also deleted "hundreds of bridal related posts in a further act of exercising dominion and control over JLM's property," according to the complaint.

"Gutman not only hijacked the Main IG Account, but she took steps to convert it from a JLM company account to a personal account," the complaint said.

When the company again requested that Gutman post JLM-related content to the @misshayleypaige Instagram account, the designer insisted the page belonged to her rather than the brand, according to the complaint.

According to JLM's complaint, Gutman deleted more company-related posts from the page in November in addition to posting new personal content. The complaint said she would not give the company access to her Pinterest and TikTok accounts with the same handle as well.

The issues between Gutman and JLM came to a head in December 2020, with JLM suing the designer over her use of the @misshayleypaige Instagram account "as her own business platform as if she were an influencer," the company's complaint said.

"After Hayley stopped posting JLM content and deprived the company access to the account, we brought the matter before the court," JLM wrote in a statement provided to Page Six at the time. "After carefully listening to both sides, a judge granted us the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO)."

The order prevents Gutman from posting on the @misshayleypaige accounts without approval from JLM, and she was forced to turn over passwords for the Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok page, according to a statement JLM provided to Insider on December 27.

"We respect the judge's decision that JLM should have temporary control over the company site and feel the process was fair and equitable," JLM's statement added.

On December 21, Gutman announced her resignation from JLM to her followers in a video posted on her Instagram account @allthatglittersonthegram, which isn't associated with JLM.

"It is with a heavy heart that I have resigned from my role as head designer of my labels with JLM Couture," Gutman wrote in the caption. "Going forward, I will no longer be associated with any of their products, including the designs and dresses which bear my name."

Making their legal dispute public, Gutman said in her video that JLM convinced a court to ban her temporarily from using her own name publicly and in a business context, and that the company was also given sole control of her main social-media accounts.

Gutman said in the video and in an accompanying press release that she has long viewed the @misshayleypaige Instagram account as a personal platform.

"I have used this account to talk about my life, family, fiancé, and my beloved dogs, among many other personal topics," she said in her press release. "And now, JLM is denying me the ability to communicate with the many friends who have joined me on our shared journey, unless I get Mr. Murphy's permission first, to make sure it is, in his words, 'on brand.'"

"And frankly, I feel violated by the idea that JLM may use my name to give you the impression that I continue to be associated with the company, even after I have left, while, at present, JLM asserts that I cannot use my own name myself," Gutman went on to say in the press release.

In the video — which has over 2.4 million views at the time of writing — Gutman urged her fans to follow her on @allthatglittersonthegram rather than the @misshayleypaige account.

After Gutman's announcement went viral, JLM released a press statement addressing the designer's claims on December 22.

The press release challenged Gutman's claims that she owned the @misshayleypaige Instagram account and denied that Gutman could not post anything on the page. A JLM representative told Insider at the time that Gutman was not barred "from accessing the brand's social media accounts."

Days later, however, a representative for Gutman told Insider on December 27 that "the temporary court order currently requires the written approval of CEO Joseph Murphy, not the brand, which speaks to the level of personal control he demands."

"She is no longer an employee of JLM and has no interest whatsoever in posting their brand messaging to her account," the representative added, speaking of Gutman. "My client is confident that her Instagram and other personal social media accounts will be returned to her and justice will be done."

JLM's press release said the company was also open to Gutman having greater control over her own name in a recent discussion. "During one negotiation, Hayley and her lawyer discussed the ramifications of having JLM own the Hayley Paige name and requested to be compensated for it," the press release said. "JLM agreed to the request and increased Hayley's compensation."

As Insider previously reported, JLM addressed the backlash it was receiving after Gutman published her video in an Instagram post.

The statement was first posted to the @misshayleypaige account, but it was then promptly deleted and reposted to the JLM corporate account — a mix-up that was down to "human error," a representative for the company told Insider.

"Like many things that glitter and shine, the issues between JLM Couture and Hayley Paige Gutman are multifaceted," JLM's statement says.

"While we were shocked and heartbroken to see Hayley's video, we feel that the correct negotiations she referred to are a private matter between those parties – in this case between Hayley and Joe," the statement continued, referring to JLM's CEO Joe Murphy. "But in light of some of Hayley's comments in the video, we feel compelled to address a few points."

"First, it is documented that Hayley had a lawyer help her review her employment contracts. She consulted with her lawyer prior to signing the contracts," the statement reads. "There were multiple rounds of negotiations between Hayley and JLM until both parties settled on an agreement each felt was fair and mutually beneficial."

"Second, Hayley has access to the social media accounts and JLM encourages and would welcome Hayley to continue contributing content that is supportive of the Hayley Paige brands," it says.

The statement adds: "Third, we respectfully ask that you allow Hayley, Joe and their attorneys to discuss the details of negotiations privately."

Following her resignation, Gutman received support from fellow designers, bridal boutiques, and brides who had worn her gowns. She posted a photo of herself with her dog on the @allthatglittersonthegram page on Christmas Eve to thank those supporting her.

"I know there is a lot more road ahead, and frankly being this exposed is still a wee bit terrifying, but I'm going to hold onto the love I've received with all my might," Gutman wrote. "I know that choosing to share my situation publicly comes with an enormous responsibility to avoid residual damage to people that don't deserve it. My main intention was to not let personal moments or connections be compromised."

A JLM spokesperson told Insider that Gutman changed the login information on the @misshayleypaige Instagram account after the court order which required her to hand over the account to the company.

"Hayley again hijacked the account by changing once again the login and password and refused to share those with JLM, an apparent violation of the court order," the spokesperson told Insider at the time.

"It wasn't until lawyers for JLM told her that they would notify the judge of the violation if she didn't hand over the info in 20 minutes that Hayley handed over the info and JLM once again got access to its own account," the representative added.

Gutman has denied these allegations.

"This is completely false, and meritless," a spokesperson for Gutman told Insider on December 28. "It did not happen, and we told them that when they asked."

"We stood by to assist them when they lost access to this account for reasons unrelated to us," the spokesperson said. "We are disappointed that they continue to advance this false narrative."

On December 28, JLM Couture provided Insider with an email that appeared to refute Gutman's claim that she didn't have a lawyer review her initial employment agreement with the fashion company in 2011. But the designer told Insider she signed the agreement without an attorney looking at it.

The first email from an unnamed person at JLM (the person's name and part of their email address is redacted) reads: "Attached is a signed contract. Hayley please confirm you have reviewed this with your attorney." Insider was unable to review the document that appears to be attached to the email; the contract is currently sealed by court order.

Gutman — whose email address is redacted — appeared to respond: "Thank you for sending! I have reviewed with my attorney accordingly."

JLM's representative told Insider that Gutman is "misleading the public and her fans when she falsely claimed that she had no lawyer when she negotiated her first contract. Indeed, JLM insisted she have a lawyer and she did have a lawyer for her first – and every – contract negotiation."

But Gutman told Insider the email was sent after she had already signed the contract. "Despite what JLM claims, I did not have an attorney when I signed my first agreement with them in 2011," she told Insider.

"JLM cannot and has not produced one email, one agreement draft, or one phone record with the attorney they claimed I have," Gutman said. "Instead, they rely on an email they sent after I had already signed the contract, checking to make sure that my non-existent lawyer had reviewed it, in my opinion because they realized the inequities it contained."

A source close to Gutman told Insider that although the designer wrote in her email that she had a lawyer look at the contract that wasn't actually the case.

"She told JLM a lawyer had reviewed the final contract because, at age 25 in 2011, she had never negotiated a contract before, the contract had already been signed anyways, and she was very excited to get started with JLM," the source said. "So she confirmed what they clearly wanted her to say."

JLM declined to respond to Gutman's claims regarding the contract.

In an Instagram video posted on Wednesday, Gutman said she requested through her lawyers that JLM "pause the litigation and start a conversation about a graceful end" to their professional relationship, as well as drop the temporary restraining order against her for 60 days. Gutman also requested that she be given back the rights to her name, as well as sole control of the @misshayleypaige social-media accounts.

On Thursday, Gutman's representative told Insider that JLM refused to resume negotiations "and set multiple untenable preconditions before even returning to negotiations."

"Their response indicates their decision to ignore the will of their bridal salon customers and their ultimate clients," the same representative said. "We are confident justice will prevail."

In response, JLM's representative told Insider that it is "blatantly untrue" that the company declined Gutman's offer.

"We have repeatedly reached out to Hayley's legal team and, without preconditions, told them we want to talk," they said. "JLM remains committed to resolving the differences between the parties, but to do that Hayley and her team will need to engage in conversations with us. We hope that Hayley's public statements of wanting to negotiate are sincere, and if they are we look forward to having those conversations."

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