Jada Pinkett Smith asks court to dismiss lawsuit tied to Oscars fallout

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith has asked a Los Angeles court to throw out a $3 million lawsuit filed against her by Bilaal Salaam, a man who claims he was once close friends with her husband, Will Smith.

According to the Daily Mail, Salaam is suing Jada for intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, in newly filed legal documents, the actress argues that his claims are based on what she describes as false and unverified statements. She has requested the court to dismiss the case entirely.

Salaam previously stated that he and Will Smith had been friends for decades. In his lawsuit, he alleged that their relationship deteriorated after the 2022 Academy Awards incident, when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage.

Salaam claims he was approached to provide crisis management support after the Oscars moment but declined because he did not want to take part in anything he considered unethical.

He further alleged that tensions escalated after he refused, accusing the Smith family of retaliating against him. In his filing, Salaam also claimed that Jada confronted him at a 2021 event and later pressured him to sign a non disclosure agreement.

He alleges that threats were made, claims which Jada has strongly denied through her legal response.

In her court documents, Jada maintains that her statements were protected under free speech laws and related to matters of public interest involving her family.

The legal dispute adds another chapter to the long aftermath of the 2022 Oscars controversy, an incident that continues to follow Will Smith nearly four years later.

While Smith has publicly apologized multiple times and resigned from the Academy following a 10 year ban, the ripple effects of that night are still playing out now inside a courtroom.