Jada Pinkett Smith has taken legal steps to have Bilaal Salaam shoulder the $49,000 in attorney fees she accumulated while defending herself against allegations he brought forward in a lawsuit last December.
Court documents filed on April 20 and reviewed by The Times show that Pinkett Smith is seeking precisely $49,181.23 — an amount covering reasonable legal expenses tied to her successful special motion to strike Salaam’s complaint, along with additional costs connected to the current motion.
Salaam, who spent four decades as Will Smith’s closest companion and is also recognized as Brother Bilaal, initiated legal proceedings against the “Bad Moms” star in December, citing emotional distress and pursuing $3 million in compensation.
In his lawsuit, Salaam stated that he was present at a private celebration for Will Smith held at the Regency Calabasas Commons in September 2021. He alleges that while standing in the theater lobby, Pinkett Smith confronted him alongside roughly seven members of her personal team, cautioning him about serious repercussions should he continue disclosing her private affairs. He further claims she pushed him to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.
During a November 2023 appearance on the “Unwine With Tasha K” podcast, Salaam alleged he had personally observed Will Smith in a private compromising situation with actor Duane Martin, and he additionally put forward unverified assertions regarding Pinkett Smith’s personal life.
Pinkett Smith wasted no time firing back, addressing the matter publicly on “The Breakfast Club” and characterizing Salaam’s statements as fabricated stories rooted in a calculated “money shakedown,” dismissing his accusations as “ridiculous and nonsense.”
“It’s not true and we’re going to take care of it,” she stated firmly. “We’re about to take legal action.”
Salaam moved first, filing his lawsuit against Pinkett Smith in December before she could pursue her own legal route, though she subsequently petitioned the court to have the case dismissed in February.
The motion submitted this week reveals that the former “Red Table Talk” host contends Salaam bears responsibility for her legal expenses given that she successfully prevailed on her anti-SLAPP motion, with the court eliminating all claims connected to media statements that underpinned the plaintiff’s three causes of action.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
