Kevin Hart’s former friend details $12 million lawsuit in intercourse tape saga

When Kevin Hart spoke out on Instagram 3 years ago about his unusual 2017 sex tape scandal and the criminal extortion charges filed and ultimately dropped against his friend Jonathan “JT” Jackson, the superstar comedian said That he was doing this. Satisfied with “moving on” from that bankruptcy at my age.

Now, the best word for Hart’s ability to bring apparently unwritten messages to his hundreds of thousands of fans is the subject of an unsealed $12 million breach of warranty lawsuit filed by Jackson in Los Angeles.

His unsealed 23-page complaint was filed on Wednesday and received Rolling stone, Jackson says Hart’s social media post, shared on October 27, 2021, was far from innocuous. Instead, it was the subject of a “carefully negotiated” agreement signed by the parties about three months ago, Jackson revealed. According to the lawsuit, Hart was contractually obligated to downplay “specific terminology” that could “publicly exonerate” Jackson, a professional bowler and actor who had a small role in Hart’s 2014 film . Let’s say you’re also like a boy, Hart was reportedly to notice not only that the criminal charges against Jackson had been dismissed, but that Jackson had been completely cleared of any involvement in the extortion plot and that the scandal had cost Hart ” Had paid the price of a precious friendship.

For example, Jackson accused Hart of explicitly mentioning, “I’ve lost someone close to me that I loved and still have a great deal of love for, or a high level of love for.” “And I am proud to say that all charges have been dropped against JT Jackson.” has been removed, and he is not guilty and had nothing to do with it.” According to Jackson, 47, Hart “clearly violated” his word of honor.

In his Instagram video, Hart noted, “JT Jackson has recently been found not guilty, and the charges against him have been dropped, and I can finally speak on what I once couldn’t speak on.” Hart said that their friendship was “over”, although the comment seemed fair. He said in regards to the saga, “It’s over, and I’m glad it’s over.” Hart did not come across as saying that Jackson “had nothing to do with it.”

Jackson’s unsealed lawsuit states, “The wording of Hart’s statement, carefully negotiated and detailed in the contract, were critical to repairing and redressing the serious damage done to Plaintiff’s reputation by the baseless extortion allegations, which Hart aggressively defended. Promoted and propagated by.” According to the complaint, the comments Hart submitted “undermine this intent by framing the acquittal as the conclusion of a chapter in Hart’s own life rather than a clear and unambiguous acquittal of the plaintiffs.”

A representative for Hart, 45, did not immediately respond. Rolling stoneRequest for comment.

Jackson’s attorney Daniel L. The unsealed lawsuit, filed by Ryback, marks an unsealed turn in the feud that began when Hart and Jackson went to Las Vegas together in August 2017. Consistent with court filings in a related case, Hart’s then-pregnant wife, Eniko Parrish, allegedly received an anonymous message stating, “Unfortunately your husband Kevin Hart is cheating on you.” The message reportedly included a Dropbox hyperlink to an edited video that appeared to show Hart having sex with a woman in his private suite at the Cosmopolitan Lodge. That night, Hart posted an Instagram video apologizing to his wife and the crowd. He admitted a “bad error in judgment” and vowed that he would “not let anyone take financial advantage of my mistakes.” The post led to a family comment from someone using the Instagram handle MisterJudge, saying, “Give me $5 million or I’m releasing the video. There is no need to make it public. You had your chance.”

Hours later, on September 17, 2017, the now-defunct website Fameolous.com revealed secretly recorded video images. Within days, TMZ reported that the FBI was investigating a multimillion-dollar extortion plot against Hart. The same day, model Montia Sabbagh held a press conference with her then-lawyer, Lisa Bloom, to confirm that she was the woman in the video. He declared his innocence, declaring that he had nothing to do with the recording or any alleged extortion. (Sabbagh would go on to file a $60 million lawsuit against Jackson and Hart, claiming that the boys had conspired to make and circulate the photos to support Hart’s advertising.) irresponsible travel, A judge’s ruling in August 2022 dismissed Sabbagh’s civil claims against Jackson, citing Sabbagh’s “lack of diligence”, most significantly his failure to obtain information about Jackson’s case from prosecutors. , who later dismissed his two extortion claims. Sabbagh’s claims of conflict of interest against Hart would be dismissed in June 2023 when Sabbagh’s attorneys failed to appear at the final state conference before trial.)

In keeping with Jackson’s untouched trial, Hart and his lawyers played an integral role in the events that resulted in his arrest. Jackson accused Hart’s camp of misleading investigators about key evidence shortly before a large number of armed law enforcement officers with weapons kicked in his door and stormed his home on January 23, 2018. Raided. In a sovereign lawsuit against the people of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Administrative Office filed last December, Jackson alleged that the hunt warrant for the raid was based on a previous search warrant, in which an alleged extortion by Mr. A demand of 5 million was described. In the warrant, investigators described the demand as a “private message” sent by Hart before he posted his apology video.

Ultimately, the DA investigator seeking the hunt warrant admitted that the MisterJud message was a family comment, not a personal message, and that it was posted by someone as a response to Hart’s family apology video. It had nothing to do with Jackson. Then after this revelation, prosecutors possibly dismissed two criminal extortion cases. Ultimately he dropped the whole matter.

Jackson’s December lawsuit against DA officials alleged they violated her civil rights, fabricated evidence, and engaged in a perjury prosecution. Officials spoke out in March with a movement to sideline the proposal, claiming they were entitled to immunity. Additionally he confirmed his allegation that electronics seized from Jackson during the 2018 raid revealed Jackson’s “possession of sex tapes and emails involving[Jackson]which allowed him to sell the tapes to media outlets before they became public.” Was trying to.”

According to prior court data cited in the dismissal motion, a media outlet received an email from someone who wanted to promote the video before its release. The instigator reportedly shared the e-mail with Hart’s team, and in response, Hart’s attorney asked someone to reach out to the unnamed supplier posing as a sex tape dealer willing to purchase the photos. The next negotiations ultimately failed. Prosecutors alleged that Hart was contacted by an email address linked to Jackson’s IP address from the fake broker.

For his part, Jackson is adamant that he never committed any criminal offense, did not promote the video and did not extort any person. “Despite the alleged connection of the charges and the IP address, the fact is that I was not arrested on the day of the raid on January 23, 2018. I was only arrested on April 30, 2018 for an alleged and completely unrelated incident.” On April 27, 2018, an extortion email was sent to Kevin Hart. “This delay in arrest casts doubt on the strength and credibility of the evidence initially claimed by the DA’s office, especially if any IP addresses were related,” Jackson said in the e-mail. Rolling stone,

Jackson’s unsealed lawsuit states that “false allegations” were the driving force behind his ultimate arrest. Specifically, he “claimed” to Hart that he had received an email on April 27, 2018, from someone offering a 20 Bitcoin challenge for the downgrading of more sex tape photos. The alleged email – sent seven months after the scandal – was reported to prosecutors and cited by a district attorney investigator as the basis for Jackson’s arrest. Jackson alleged in his unsealed lawsuit that the booklet of e-mails eventually shared by prosecutors showed that it was “fabricated.” They claim that research by two professionals showed that it was created using Microsoft Word of Honor on May 17, 2019, more than a generation after the alleged extortion war.

In his complaint, Jackson says his career and reputation have been deeply damaged following the unsuccessful prosecution. He says the damage was caused by statements made in Hart’s documentary “Don’t F**k This Up,” a six-episode reality show based on Hart’s coming-of-age that premiered on Netflix in December 2019. In the format, which is still streaming, Hart reflects on the intercourse tape scandal and the end of his friendship with Jackson. He said it was hard to talk about the incident, lamenting the loss of someone you really trust and love. that’s hurt.”

The layout premiered later, in which all charges against Jackson were dropped, although Hart’s longtime friend and fellow comedian Will “Spank” Horton still appeared summarizing the prosecution’s failed theory of the case. are: “I think he put a camera in the room, videoed the act, came home, edited the video and then sent her an e-mail or a ransom saying, ‘Look if you don’t pay me I’ll do this. Will release the video. I think it was $10 million or something like that,” says Horton. (When the layout premiered, Jackson presumably began preparing to file a defamation lawsuit against Hart, the head of the 2021 agreement, which is now at the center of Jackson’s breach of guarantee claim.)

Jackson says the now-dismissed criminal charges and the high-profile Netflix layout, which was reportedly watched by millions of households, caused lasting damage to his career and well-being. “The continued availability of this material perpetuates the false narrative, causing continued harm to Plaintiffs’ professional and personal lives,” the lawsuit says. Jackson, an Army veteran, alleges that the fallout “exacerbated” his service-related PTSD and “caused significant mental health struggles.”

Jackson is suing Hart and his Heartbeat Productions for breach of written warranty, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is seeking at least $12 million in actual damages in addition to punitive damages for being progressive in the lawsuit.

“This entire ordeal has caused deep emotional distress and significant professional setbacks for both my wife and me. It is extremely unfortunate that someone I considered my brother, my vessel, for 16 years, we are now on opposite sides of the fence,” Jackson said in a comment Rolling stone, “Despite everything, I still wish him well. But it’s been three years since Kevin promised to help clear my name, to no avail. so here we are. Through this lawsuit, my goal is to restore my reputation, achieve accountability, and ensure that this injustice does not happen to others.