Kevin Hart Sued for $12M by Ex-Friend Over Breach of Contract in Sex Tape Scandal

Kevin Hart’s former friend, Jonathan “J.T.” Jackson, is suing the comedian for $12 million, alleging Hart breached their 2021 written settlement agreement. Jackson claims the agreement required Hart to publicly exonerate him of “baseless extortion allegations” that were related to Hart’s 2017 sex tape and cheating scandal.

Court documents obtained reveal that Jackson asserts the two sides reached a settlement in July 2021. This settlement allegedly called for Hart to ensure the dismissal of all criminal charges against Jackson and to make a public statement exonerating him.

Jackson was implicated in an extortion investigation connected to a tape showing Hart, 45, with a woman who was not his wife, Eniko Parrish, 39. During this period, Parrish was pregnant with the couple’s first child, Kenzo. The woman in the tape was later identified as Montia Sabbag. Sabbag eventually denied any attempt to extort Hart and filed her own $60 million lawsuit against both Hart and Jackson. Her lawsuit, which claimed the two men conspired to create the scandal to promote Hart’s Irresponsible Tour, was dismissed in June 2023, according to Rolling Stone.

ET has reached out to Hart’s representatives for comment. Jackson’s lawsuit alleges Hart and his legal team were involved in initiating the criminal charges against him and argues these charges were wrongful.

Jackson claims that prosecutors eventually dropped the entire criminal case against him. He maintains Hart played a role in initiating the false claims that led to his arrest, stating, “Although Hart did not personally accuse Jackson at this stage, he contributed to the initiation of these false claims.”

According to Jackson, an email Hart claimed to have received on April 27, 2018, demanded 20 bitcoins to prevent the release of the sex tape. Jackson says this email was central to his arrest on April 30, 2018. Court documents cite a voice recording of a district attorney investigator stating Jackson was responsible for the extortion email Hart received.

Jackson argues there is evidence the extortion email was fabricated. He asserts that the email lacked forwarding headers, which are essential for verifying an email’s authenticity. Jackson states this absence undermines the credibility of the extortion email and suggests it was manipulated or created.

Forensic analysis, Jackson claims, shows the extortion email was created in Microsoft Word 2013 in May 2019, over a year after the alleged extortion attempt. This finding, derived from metadata analysis, purportedly indicates the email was fabricated.

Jackson’s lawsuit also focuses on Hart’s alleged breach of their written settlement agreement. Jackson claims the agreement required Hart to post an Instagram video exonerating him with specific wording agreed upon by all parties. According to Jackson, Hart was supposed to post a video on October 27, 2021, stating, “I am proud to say that all charges against JT Jackson have been dropped and he is not guilty and had nothing to do with it.”

Instead, Jackson claims Hart manipulated the narrative in the video, focusing on himself rather than clearing Jackson’s name. This failure to deliver the agreed-upon message, Jackson alleges, damaged his reputation.

Jackson, a former pro bowler and actor with a minor role in Hart’s 2014 film “Think Like a Man Too,” says the ordeal has exacerbated his PTSD and caused significant mental health issues. Professionally, Jackson claims to have lost job opportunities and faced challenges securing acting roles and other employment, including rideshare and delivery positions.

Jackson’s attorneys, Daniel L. Reback and Jeremy D. Smith of Krane & Smith, APC, issued a statement to ET about the lawsuit. “The forensic evidence raises serious questions about the validity of the email evidence used against our client. Additionally, the breach of contract by Mr. Hart has caused significant harm to Mr. Jackson’s reputation. We are committed to ensuring a fair and just outcome for Mr. Jackson.”

Kevin Hart has two children with his ex-wife Torrei, daughter Heaven Leigh, 19, and son Hendrix, 16. He shares two more children, son Kenzo, 6, and daughter Kaori, 3, with his wife, Eniko. The couple addressed the cheating scandal in Hart’s 2019 Netflix docuseries “Don’t F**k This Up.”

Eniko Parrish recalled finding out about the scandal through a direct message containing an edited video of Hart and another woman while she was seven or eight months pregnant. She described calling Hart in tears and feeling publicly humiliated by the incident. Despite the rocky period, the couple worked through the situation, which Hart later described as the “lowest moment” of his life.

Source: ET