Jada Pinkett Smith seeks dismissal in controversial threat case

Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a California court to dismiss a $3 million lawsuit filed by her former friend, Bilaal Salaam, who claims the actress threatened him at a hotel in 2021.

In a motion obtained by PEOPLE on February 16, Pinkett Smith argues that Salaam’s complaint should be struck in its entirety under California’s anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute. The law is designed to quickly weed out meritless claims arising from protected activity, according to the motion.

The lawsuit stems from Salaam’s allegations on the Unwine With Tasha K podcast that he witnessed her husband, Will Smith, engaging in a sexual act with actor Duane Martin. Pinkett Smith publicly dismissed those claims as “nonsense” during an interview with The Breakfast Club, which forms part of her defense.

Plaintiff voluntarily gave media interviews claiming – without evidence – that he personally witnessed her husband, actor Will Smith, engaging in sexual acts,” the motion to dismiss reads. “Plaintiff’s allegations were false, uncorroborated, and made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment directed at Defendant and her family.”

It also notes that he disclosed confidential legal correspondence he had received from the Smiths, which the motion states is protected under California law.

Salaam (also known as Brother Bilaal) filed the $3 million complaint in December 2025, alleging that the actress confronted him in the lobby of the Regency Calabasas Commons in September 2021 and threatened him. The complaint alleges that Pinkett Smith told Salaam that he would “end up missing or catch a bullet.”