Jada Pinkett Smith Seeks Dismissal of $3 Million Lawsuit Filed by Bilaal Salaam

Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a California court to throw out a $3 million lawsuit filed by Bilaal Salaam, arguing that his claims are legally protected speech and should be dismissed under the state’s anti-SLAPP law.

In a motion filed on Feb. 16 and obtained by PEOPLE, Pinkett Smith’s legal team asked the court to strike Salaam’s complaint in its entirety. The filing cites California’s Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute, which allows courts to dismiss lawsuits early if they arise from protected speech or public activity.

What the Lawsuit Is About

Salaam filed the $3 million complaint in December 2025. He alleges that in September 2021, Pinkett Smith confronted him in the lobby of the Regency Calabasas Commons hotel and threatened him. According to the complaint, she allegedly told him he would “end up missing or catch a bullet.”

The lawsuit references comments Pinkett Smith made publicly after Salaam claimed on the Unwine With Tasha K podcast that he walked in on her husband, Will Smith, engaging in a sexual act with actor Duane Martin.

After those allegations surfaced, Pinkett Smith called the claims “nonsense” during an interview on The Breakfast Club.

In her new motion, Pinkett Smith’s attorneys argue that Salaam “voluntarily gave media interviews claiming – without evidence – that he personally witnessed her husband, actor Will Smith, engaging in sexual acts.” The filing says his statements were false and made to gain attention as part of a public campaign of harassment against her and her family.

Anti-SLAPP Argument

Pinkett Smith’s legal team also points to comments she made to TMZ after her appearance on The Breakfast Club, when she said “we’re suin’” in response to Salaam’s allegations.

Her motion claims that Salaam’s lawsuit targets her protected speech — specifically her public denial of his claims. The filing also states that a cease-and-desist letter sent to Salaam was private legal correspondence and not a public statement. According to the motion, such pre-litigation communication is protected under California law.

Anti-SLAPP laws are designed to prevent people from using lawsuits to silence critics or punish others for speaking publicly on matters of interest.

Salaam’s Additional Claims

In his original complaint, Salaam also alleged that Duane Martin contacted him after Smith’s widely publicized slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in 2022.

He claims Martin told him that Smith and Pinkett Smith needed urgent “crisis management” help following the fallout from the incident. Salaam alleges he was asked to carry out tasks he considered “illegal, unethical, or morally compromising,” and that he was warned he would face “serious problems” if he refused.

He further claims he received threats from people in the couple’s circle and was targeted in a “retaliatory campaign,” especially after it became known that he was writing a “whistleblower memoir” about his time with them.

The Smiths’ Relationship

Pinkett Smith married Will Smith in 1997. In 2023, she revealed that the two had been separated for seven years, though they remain close. They share two children, Jaden and Willow. Smith also has a son, Trey, from his previous marriage to Sheree Zampino.

Amid Salaam’s claims, a source previously told PEOPLE that the couple’s relationship “is still good,” adding that they spend time together and apart, maintain deep respect for each other and continue to work together while sharing family life.

The court has not yet ruled on Pinkett Smith’s motion to dismiss.