Jada Pinkett Smith is taking another step in her legal fight with Bilaal Salaam, asking the court to pass her legal bill onto him.
Court filings show she is requesting about $49,000 after a judge dismissed several of Salaam’s claims in his lawsuit alleging emotional distress. The dispute traces back to events following the 2022 Oscars, when Will Smith struck Chris Rock onstage.
Pinkett Smith has consistently rejected Salaam’s allegations and argued that his claims lack proof. After the court sided with her on key portions of the case, she is now asking to recover the cost of her defense.
She alleges the lawsuit forced her to spend significant resources responding to claims she believes were baseless.
Salaam had argued that his involvement in helping Will Smith after the Oscars incident led to personal and professional setbacks. He also claimed he experienced backlash connected to a memoir he was working on.
Pinkett Smith denied the accusations and described them as “made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment directed at her and Will.”