Will Smith Drawn Into Jada's $3M Lawsuit as Ex-Friend Seeks Deposition

A civil lawsuit targeting Jada Pinkett Smith is gaining new complexity, with the plaintiff — a self-represented litigant and former Smith family associate — now seeking to pull Will Smith into the proceedings through a formal deposition request. The case, which centers on allegations of a physical threat and an alleged smear campaign, has been grinding through the California court system for years, and its legal maneuvering continues to intensify.

Who Is Bilaal Salaam and What Is He Claiming?

Bilaal Salaam, also known as Brother Bilaal and identified professionally as an art historiographer, alleges that Jada Pinkett Smith physically threatened him during a confrontation at the Regency Calabasas Common in September 2021 — an incident he says took place at a private birthday event for Will Smith. According to Just Jared, Salaam contends the encounter left him with emotional distress, reputational damage, financial losses, and physical health consequences. He is pursuing $3 million in damages and has been representing himself throughout the litigation, which adds a notable layer of procedural complexity to an already contentious case.

The Push to Depose Will Smith

In court documents distributed via email on July 7, Salaam formally requested that Will Smith submit to a deposition — placing the Academy Award-winning actor in the crosshairs of a lawsuit in which he is not a named party. Jada's legal team responded swiftly and sharply, stating there was "nothing to meet and confer about" and noting that Will had not been served with a subpoena. Her attorneys also criticized Salaam for what they characterized as untimely responses and an insufficient evidentiary record, pointing specifically to absent recordings and missing medical documentation. A motion to compel has been raised in the context of those evidence gaps.

The dynamic between Will and Jada has been a subject of significant public interest in recent years — [the two were famously photographed together in Paris](/ article/will-smith-jada-pinkett-smith-arm-in-arm-paris) even as their personal situation remained complicated — and any courtroom testimony from Smith would inevitably attract intense scrutiny given the couple's high profile.

Jada's Legal Wins So Far

Despite the ongoing pressures of the case, Jada Pinkett Smith has notched meaningful legal victories. She filed an anti-SLAPP motion — invoking California's Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation statute, a legal mechanism designed to protect individuals from lawsuits that seek to silence or punish constitutionally protected speech — in an attempt to dismiss portions of the complaint. In May, that effort bore fruit in a significant way: a court ordered Salaam to pay nearly $33,000 in attorney fees and legal costs to Jada's side. The court has also denied his request for a jury trial, further narrowing his path forward.

What Comes Next

The next scheduled hearing in the matter is set for August 19, and the outstanding evidence disputes — particularly around the recordings and medical documentation Jada's team says have not been produced — are likely to shape what traction, if any, Salaam's claims retain. His attempt to bring Will into the fold through deposition appears, at least for now, to be on uncertain footing given the absence of a properly served subpoena.

For observers accustomed to tracking the Smiths' public trajectory, this litigation represents yet another chapter in a remarkably scrutinized chapter of Hollywood history. While much of the broader entertainment conversation has moved toward fresh theatrical releases and streaming premieres — including high-profile projects like Sandra Bullock's return in the Practical Magic 2 trailer and Gal Gadot's In the Hand of Dante landing on Netflix — the Smith family remains fixed in the public eye for reasons well beyond the multiplex. How August's hearing unfolds may determine whether this case continues its slow burn or finally moves toward resolution.

Related on Ni4o: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Walk Arm-in-Arm in Paris