Jada Pinkett Smith is seeking nearly $50,000 in legal reimbursements from a former associate of her husband, Will Smith, following a partial victory in a high-profile emotional distress lawsuit.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the 54-year-old “Red Table Talk” host is requesting that a judge order Bilaal Salaam to pay roughly $49,000 to cover her mounting legal expenses.
The request comes after Pinkett Smith successfully convinced the court to dismiss significant portions of a $3 million lawsuit filed by Salaam last year. The legal battle stems from allegations Salaam made regarding his personal and professional relationship with the Smith family.
In his original filing, Salaam claimed he had been recruited to assist Will Smith with “damage control” in the wake of the 2022 Oscars incident, during which Smith famously slapped comedian Chris Rock on live television. The friction between the parties reportedly escalated when Salaam began working on a personal memoir.
He alleged that Pinkett Smith and as many as seven members of her inner circle threatened him after learning of his plans to publish the book. Salaam claimed these interactions caused him significant emotional distress, leading to his multimillion-dollar demand.
A judge previously moved to strike parts of Salaam’s claims, a development Pinkett Smith’s legal team is now using to justify the shift in financial responsibility. Under the current motion, the actress argues that because portions of the case were found lacks merit, the plaintiff should be held accountable for the costs she incurred while defending herself. “Jada Pinkett Smith believes Salaam should be responsible for the legal costs,” the court documents noted, suggesting that the actress views the litigation as an unnecessary financial burden triggered by unsubstantiated claims.
Neither Pinkett Smith nor Salaam has issued a public statement following this latest push for legal fees. The court is expected to rule on the fee request in the coming weeks, a decision that could set the stage for how the remainder of the legal dispute unfolds.