Kevin Hart is reportedly being sued by his former friend Jonathan T. Jackson in connection with the 2017 sex tape scandal.
Jackson is seeking $12 million in a breach of contract lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, alleging that a social media post shared by Hart on October 27, 2021, did not follow a “carefully negotiated” plan to clear Jackson’s name in the scandal and extortion case that followed the 2017 sex tape incident.
Jackson said Hart was “contractually obligated to use specific language to publicly exonerate him.” The video was supposed to include a statement from Jackson, who had a small role in “Think Like a Man Too” with Hart, Gabrielle Union, Terrence J., and Regina Hall, saying, “I have been completely cleared of any involvement in the extortion scheme and the scandal.” Hart was supposed to say, “I sacrificed a valuable friendship.” According to the lawsuit, Hart agreed to say, “I lost someone close to me, someone I loved and still love very much, and I’m proud that all the charges against J.T. Jackson have been dropped, and he is innocent and had nothing to do with it.”
Instead, Jackson claims Hart “flagrantly violated” the agreement. In a 2017 Instagram video, Hart said, “Now that Jackson has recently been found not guilty and the charges have been dropped, I can finally speak about things that I couldn’t say before.”
He also shared that their friendship was “lost,” but his words stopped short of the agreement that Jackson claims Hart had broken.
“It’s over now, and I’m glad it’s over,” Hart said. He also omitted a line that Jackson and Hart reportedly agreed to include, which stated that Jackson “had nothing to do with it.”
“The language of Hart’s statement, carefully negotiated and detailed in the agreement, was critical to repairing and undoing the severe damage done to the plaintiff’s reputation by the unfounded extortion allegations aggressively disseminated and publicized by Hart,” Jackson said in the new lawsuit. While Hart appeared to move on from the situation, Jackson said he suffered mental anguish for years afterward. The suit claims that Hart and his lawyer played a key role in his 2018 arrest, when police officers allegedly kicked down his door and searched his home at gunpoint.
Apparently, that’s where it all began.
Jackson claims that Hart “clearly violated” the agreement. In a 2017 Instagram video, Hart said, “Now that Jackson has recently been found not guilty and the charges have been dropped, I can finally speak about things I haven’t been able to speak about before.”
He also shared that their friendship was “lost,” but his words stopped short of the agreement Jackson claims Hart had broken.
“It’s over now, and I’m glad it’s over,” Hart said. He also omitted a line that Jackson and Hart allegedly agreed to include, which stated that Jackson “had nothing to do with it.”
“The language of Hart’s statement, carefully negotiated and detailed in the agreement, was critical to repairing and undoing the severe damage done to the plaintiff’s reputation by the unfounded extortion allegations that Hart aggressively promoted and publicized,” Jackson said in the new lawsuit. Jackson claims the ordeal “caused significant mental health issues” and exacerbated his post-traumatic stress disorder. It also “caused lost employment opportunities and damaged his public image.”
He added that “the shadow of the unfounded allegations made it extremely difficult for him to obtain acting roles.” He also said he had difficulty finding other work, including ride-sharing and delivery jobs for Uber and Lyft, where background checks revealed the extortion allegations.
