Bilaal Salaam, a former friend of Will Smith, is asking a judge to order Jada Pinkett Smith to appear for a deposition as part of his ongoing lawsuit against her.
According to newly filed court documents, Salaam claims he previously scheduled a deposition for May 20, but alleges that Jada did not attend. He is now requesting that the court require her to sit for questioning within the next 30 days.
Salaam says he wants to question Jada about alleged communications concerning him, including claims that she authorised or was involved in threats made against him.
The lawsuit stems from allegations that Jada became upset after Salaam declined to help Will Smith manage the fallout from the actor’s infamous on-stage slap of Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. Salaam also alleges that after learning he intended to write a memoir about the Smith family, third parties threatened him.
Jada has denied the allegations, and the court previously dismissed the majority of Salaam’s claims.
In the latest filing, Salaam argues that Jada’s testimony remains essential to his case. However, her legal team contends that she has already been deposed in a separate legal matter involving Salaam that covered many of the same issues. As a result, her attorneys argue that any additional deposition, if permitted, should be limited to one hour.
The court has not yet ruled on Salaam’s request.
