Jada Pinkett Smith sued for alleged threats in $3 million lawsuit

Jada Pinkett Smith is facing a $3 million lawsuit.

Bilaal Salaam, a former associate of Jada’s husband Will Smith, has sued the 54-year-old actress, claiming she launched a smear campaign against him. The lawsuit stems from an alleged altercation that occurred in September 2021 during Will Smith’s birthday celebration.

“Defendant Jada Pinkett Smith approached the plaintiff with approximately seven members of her entourage, became verbally aggressive and threatened the plaintiff by stating that if he continued ‘telling her personal business,’ he would ‘end up missing or catch a bullet,’ and demanded he sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) ‘or else,’” the lawsuit, filed on November 7, alleges.

The suit says that an associate of Jada’s then followed Bilaal to his vehicle “while continuing to issue verbal threats.”

Less than a year later, Bilaal alleges he was contacted after the 2022 Academy Awards, during which Will slapped Chris Rock onstage, and was asked to “help with crisis management for the incident.” 

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However, Bilaal declined, noting in his filing that “his conscience would not allow him to be involved in any cover-up or deceptive PR campaign.”

After his refusal, according to Bilaal, “a retaliatory campaign was launched against him, including threats from individuals closely associated with Will and Jada,” which escalated, he says, after the Smiths learned he was writing a “whistleblower memoir” about his time working with the family.

Bilaal further alleges in the lawsuit that he then began giving public interviews in an “effort to protect himself and document the events,” at which point he alleges Jada “intentionally and maliciously engaged in a smear campaign through nationally broadcast interviews.”

In his filing, Bilaal has accused Jada of intentional infliction of emotional distress in three separate instances and allegations of “extreme and outrageous conduct,” among which he cites actions taken to “intimidate, bribe, and suppress” him.

Bilaal is seeking $3 million in special damages, in addition to other general and punitive and exemplary damages. As part of his demands, he has also asked the court to compel Jada to “issue a public retraction of the false and defamatory statements” made against him, specifically mentioning the “false accusations of a money shakedown and extortion.”