Kevin Hart is being sued for allegedly failing to properly vindicate his former friend Jonathan “J.T.” Jackson, who was charged with attempting to extort the comedian with a sex tape. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that Hart botched a settlement agreement requiring him to share a statement proclaiming Jackson’s innocence. Additionally, the suit accuses Hart of providing fake evidence to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, leading to Jackson’s extortion charges.
The complaint, which also names Hart’s company Hartbeat, seeks at least $12 million in damages for fraud and breach of contract. Jackson was charged in 2018 with attempting to extort Hart using a video of the comedian engaging in sexual activities with a woman who wasn’t his wife. In 2019, Hart released a Netflix docuseries titled Don’t F**k This Up, in which he accused Jackson of creating and distributing the tape.
In 2021, the two reached a settlement requiring Hart to pursue the dismissal of all criminal charges against Jackson and issue a public statement exonerating him. However, Jackson claims that Hart “blatantly breached” the agreement by deviating from the “meticulously negotiated” wording of the statement.
According to the lawsuit, Hart was supposed to say, “I’m 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, Hart stated that Jackson had “recently been found not guilty, and those charges have been dropped against him,” adding, “I can say I’m happy that that chapter of my life is over. This message is about moving on.”
Jackson argues that Hart’s altered statement diluted the settlement’s intention to clear his name and restore his reputation. The lawsuit describes the deviation from the agreed language as a “profound and egregious breach” that undermines the provisions designed to rehabilitate Jackson’s career, which has allegedly been ruined by the extortion accusations.
The lawsuit also alleges that Hart fabricated an email sent by his lawyers to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, which led to prosecutors raiding Jackson’s house. The message was purportedly created in April 2018 but forensic analysis determined it was actually created in May 2019, over a year after the alleged extortion attempt.
This lawsuit adds another layer to the ongoing legal and personal battles between Hart and Jackson, further complicating the narrative of the scandal that has affected both of their careers.
