Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a judge to make Will Smith’s former friend cover her legal expenses tied to a dismissed emotional distress lawsuit.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Pinkett Smith is seeking roughly $49,000 from Bilaal Salaam. The situation stems from last year, when Salaam filed a $3 million emotional distress lawsuit against the 54-year-old actress—though she was able to get part of his claims dismissed.
Based on the filings, Pinkett Smith argues that Salaam should be held responsible for the legal fees she racked up while defending herself.
Salaam claimed he experienced emotional distress after alleging he was brought in to assist Will Smith with damage control following the 2022 Oscars incident involving Chris Rock.
He also alleged that Pinkett Smith and “approximately seven members of her entourage” threatened him once they found out he was working on a memoir.
According to Salaam, Pinkett Smith warned that if he continued “telling her personal business,” he could “end up missing” or “catch a bullet.”
The lawsuit further claimed she pressured him into signing a nondisclosure agreement, with the request carrying an implied threat.
Pinkett Smith has denied all of the accusations, describing them as “false, uncorroborated and made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment.”
She also pointed out that Salaam failed to provide proof backing his claims that he lost a girlfriend, left the country, and experienced weight loss due to the alleged distress.
The case remains ongoing.
