Kevin Hart wants a particular person removed from the witness list in his lawsuit against a former assistant, and it’s someone with whom he shares a complicated past.
That person is Montia Sabbag, who was at the center of the comedian’s 2017 sex tape controversy. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Hart is asking a judge to prevent Sabbag from testifying, arguing that she has no connection to the case. He also believes Miesha Shakes, his former assistant who worked for him from 2017 to 2020, included her on the witness list to embarrass him.
So, how did a scandal from 2017 end up on a witness list in 2026?
It began with a tell-all interview. In December 2023, blogger Tasha K released an interview in which Shakes made allegations about Hart’s personal life, including claims of an affair at his office. Hart subsequently sued both women, accusing Shakes of violating the nondisclosure agreement she signed after leaving his company and making false statements that harmed his reputation.
Hart has since reached a settlement with Tasha K, but his legal battle with Shakes remains ongoing.
Shakes maintains that the NDA should not be enforceable because Hart allegedly failed to fulfill his own obligations under the agreement, including providing the health insurance she says he promised her. Hart, however, disputes her claims and says he paid Shakes a total of $102,975 under the agreement.
Another key issue is the extent to which the interview actually damaged Hart’s reputation. While Hart argues that Shakes harmed his public image, she contends that his reputation had already suffered setbacks long before her interview with Tasha K, pointing to the 2017 recording as an example.
That’s where Sabbag enters the picture.
In 2019, Sabbag filed a $60 million lawsuit against Hart, alleging that he was involved in secretly recording their sexual encounter at a Las Vegas hotel without her consent. Hart denied any wrongdoing. Her federal lawsuit was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds in 2020, while a separate case in California state court was dismissed in 2023 after she and her attorney failed to attend a court conference. Neither dismissal determined whether her allegations were true.
Shakes now wants to question Sabbag about the recording and the legal battle that followed. Hart, however, wants to keep her out of the proceedings. He claims Shakes submitted her witness list without consulting his attorneys and is asking the court to limit testimony to himself, Shakes and Tasha K unless Shakes can demonstrate why additional witnesses are necessary.
The trial was initially scheduled for Monday, Oct. 12, although it’s unclear whether that date remains unchanged. For now, Sabbag is still a potential witness, and the final decision on whether she will testify rests with the judge.
