Kevin Hart Sues Tasha K And Her Former Assistant For Extortion. Cardi B’s defamation lawsuit has cost Tasha K, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, $4 million in damages that she has not yet paid.
Kevin Hart is pursuing legal action against his former assistant and a YouTuber, alleging that the latter sought a six-figure payment to suppress an interview that the actor regards as defamatory.
Tasha K is accused of leading a plot to extort Hart of $250,000 by threatening to interview his former personal assistant, Miesha Shakes, according to a complaint that was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday.
The lawsuit claims that Shakes made false claims during the discussion about Hart being charged with a crime for filming a sex encounter.
With over a million followers, Tasha K—real name Latasha Kebe—primarily shares celebrity rumors on her YouTube channel. A $4 million verdict against her was upheld by a federal appeals court in March after she made false accusations against rapper Cardi B, claiming she took cocaine, had herpes, and participated in prostitution.
According to the lawsuit, Hart was contacted in November by an anonymous Kebe associate who threatened to publish an interview that would be detrimental to his image unless he paid a $250,000 ransom.
The lawsuit states that the actor wrote Kebe a cease-and-desist, refused to pay, and got in touch with the police. Hart received a letter from Hart’s attorneys informing her that any money she was ordered to pay for damages stemming from her alleged misbehavior would not be discharged in bankruptcy.
“Mr. Hart is entitled to monetary damages against you should he choose to initiate civil litigation regarding this matter, as you have already engaged in criminal conduct and tortious acts,” Hart’s attorney, Donte Mills, wrote.
“You will be more liable for such monetary damages and subject to criminal penalties to the extent that you do not cease now.”
The lawsuit includes a sneak peek of the November interview when she is accused of threatening Hart. Kebe said, “We have to get money by any means necessary when you don’t pay.”
Additionally, Hart alleges that Shakes breached her nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements by sharing private and sensitive business and personal information about her.
“Shakes would only have known about such subjects as a result of her employment with Hart and Hartbeat, regardless of the truth or falsity of any such statements,” the lawsuit reads.
As Hart’s assistant from 2017 to 2020, Shakes worked for Hartbeat Productions. According to the lawsuit, there are unidentified “loopholes” in the confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements that “enable her to escape the consequences of her brazenly violating her promises to Plaintiffs.” Her payment of $90,000 over three years was stipulated in the NDA.
During the conversation, she said that Hart was a habitual dishonesty and compulsive gambler who had paid a friend millions of dollars to file DUI charges on his behalf. It was released in December on Kebe’s website, which requires a monthly membership to view.
The lawsuit makes no mention of any allegedly defamatory remarks other than “statements about Hart and some legal battles in which he had been involved,” one of which is that he “recorded a video of a sexual encounter and that he faced criminal charges over that said occurrence.”
Hart must demonstrate that Shakes behaved with a sufficient degree of malice or carelessness to satisfy the strict requirements for prominent individuals to file defamation lawsuits in order to win. This involves malicious purpose combined with an awareness that what was stated was untrue or was spoken carelessly with little concern for the truth.
Numerous defamation lawsuits, such as those brought by Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, and someone who sued because of his representation in The Wolf of Street, have yet to meet the requirements.
Defamation was not brought against Kebe, who is facing lawsuits for extortion, willful interference with contractual ties, and breach of privacy. “Please watch the full interview,” a spokesman for the YouTuber said in a statement.
Hart apologized in 2017 for reportedly trying to extort him and cheating on his wife with another woman.
