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Kevin Hart is reportedly being sued by his former friend, Jonathan T. Jackson, in relation to his 2017 sex tape scandal.
According to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Jackson is alleging that Hart breached a settlement agreement they came to in July 2021.
Additionally, Jackson alleges that the agreement “required Hart to pursue and advocate for the dismissal of all criminal charges against [him] and make a public statement exonerating him.” According to the outlet, Jackson was the subject of an extortion investigation after footage surfaced showing Hart having sexual relations with a woman named Montia Sabbag.
At the time, Hart was married to Eniko Parrish, who was pregnant with their first child.
According to USA Today, Jackson was charged with attempted extortion in 2018. However, the charges against him were later dropped.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the pair’s settlement agreement ordered Hart to “go live and post a video on his Instagram account.” Additionally, Hart was to assert Jackson’s innocence in the matter.
Furthermore, Hart allegedly agreed that he would leave the post up “for at least 24 hours.”
USA Today reports that Hart did take to social media to share the video on October 27, 2021. However, Jackson believes that instead of exonerating him, Hart “willfully deviated” from explicitly mentioning that Jackson did not extort him.
“…J.T. Jackson has recently been found not guilty, and those charges have been dropped against him, and I can finally speak on what I once couldn’t,” Hart told viewers at the time. “I couldn’t do it because of the legal process. It kind of put a fork in the road between he and I, and that relationship is lost. But I’m glad that now I can finally not only speak on it, but I can say I’m happy that that chapter of my life is over…”
Check out Hart’s 2021 statement below.
According to the outlet, the lawsuit asserts that Hart’s words failed to issue a “clear and unequivocal exoneration of Plaintiff.” Due to this, Jackson has reportedly encountered “enormous difficulties in obtaining acting roles.”
“Hart’s statement dilutes this intent by framing the exoneration more as a conclusion to a chapter in Hart’s own life rather than a clear and unequivocal exoneration of Plaintiff,” the lawsuit reads, per USA Today.
Jackson is reportedly suing Hart, citing “breach of written contract, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” Furthermore, he is reportedly seeking to receive over a whopping $12 million from Hart.
“[Jackson’s] legal exoneration, a pivotal moment, could not erase the years of adversity, missed opportunities, and emotional anguish inflicted upon Plaintiff and his family. Despite the courtroom victory, the shadow of unfounded allegations persisted, casting a long and enduring stain exacerbated by Hart’s role in shaping public opinion through negative media portrayal,” Jackson’s lawsuit reportedly asserts.
