Kevin Hart Sued Over Sex Tape

Woman from 2017 tape wants $60M
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2019 1:57 PM CDT
Kevin Hart Sued by Woman in 2017 Sex Tape
In this Jan. 29, 2019, file photo, actor Kevin Hart gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

The woman in a 2017 sex tape with Kevin Hart is now suing the actor, alleging he conspired to make the recording and then publish it online. At the time, Hart went public with claims that the then-unnamed woman was extorting him by threatening to release the video if he didn't pay up; the woman, Montia Sabbag, then came forward and denied extorting Hart. At the time, she said they were both victims of a third perpetrator, and Jonathan "JT" Jackson was ultimately arrested and charged with extortion. Now, however, Sabbag says Hart "authorized, allowed, and otherwise permitted" his then-friend, Jackson, to access the Las Vegas hotel room where he and Sabbag were recorded. Thus, her lawsuit claims, Hart either "negligently or intentionally" allowed the tape to be made, and he then "conspired" with Jackson to make money from it, NBC News reports.

The lawsuit says he did so by using it to promote his comedy tour and "increase his overall pop culture status," and that he ultimately reaped "tremendous financial benefit" from doing so. TMZ sounds a skeptical note on that allegation: "strange, since even back then Kevin was one of the biggest movie stars in the world and the last thing he needed was media attention over cheating." Sabbag's $60 million lawsuit names both Hart and Jackson. But TMZ's sources say Hart has actually been working with the DA on the case for two years in order to see Jackson brought to justice, and that it was Sabbag's third and most recent lawyer who issued a "secret financial demand" to Hart, which he rejected. The suit was then filed. The gossip site's sources say Hart, currently rehabbing after a horrific car crash, won't offer a settlement of any amount to Sabbag. (More Kevin Hart stories.)

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