Kevin Hart sued by former friend Jonathan Jackson for $12M over breach of contract in 2017 sex tape scandal

Jonathan Jackson who is suing Kevin Hart now, was earlier charged with one count each of attempted extortion and extortion by threatening letters
UPDATED JUL 12, 2024
Kevin Hart never personally accused Jonathan Jackson of extortion (Getty Images, @jtactionjackson/Instagram)
Kevin Hart never personally accused Jonathan Jackson of extortion (Getty Images, @jtactionjackson/Instagram)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kevin Hart will face some legal heat after his former friend Jonathan ‘JT’ Jackson filed a $12 million lawsuit against him.

According to the lawsuit, the comedian breached their 2021 written settlement agreement by which Hart was supposed to exonerate him of “baseless extortion allegations” involving the ‘Jumanji’ star’s 2017 sex tape and cheating scandal.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Kevin Hart of 'Dave' speaks during the FX segment of the 2020 Win
.Kevin Hart has transitioned into acting career after successful stand up career (Getty Images)

What did Jonathan Jackson's lawsuit say?

As per the lawsuit, they both signed a settlement agreement in July 2021 "which required Hart to pursue and advocate for the dismissal of all criminal charges against [him] and make a public statement exonerating him."

Jackson earlier faced an extortion investigation involving a tape showing Hart with a woman, later identified as actress Montia Sabbag. She, too, denied any attempt to extort Hart during the investigation.

Sabbag did file a $60 million lawsuit against Hart and Jackson, accusing them of conspiring to create the scandal to hype the comedian’s Irresponsible Tour, but the lawsuit was dismissed in June 2023.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jt Jackson (@jtactionjackson)


 

Jonathan Jackson was previously arrested for attempted extortion

Meanwhile, Jackson who is suing Hart now, was earlier charged with one count each of attempted extortion and extortion by threatening letter, among others.

However, the prosecutors later dropped the entire criminal case against Jackson, who still claims it was Hart and his lawyers who helped in initiating a raid at his residence and the charges he faced, reports USAToday.

"In the aftermath of the scandal, false extortion claims were filed against [Jackson], resulting in [Jackson] being wrongly accused," Jackson said in a statement, as per court documents. 


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real)


 

"Although Hart did not personally accuse [Jackson] at this stage, he contributed to the initiation of these false claims," it added.

Hart "claimed to have received an extortion email" on April 27, 2018, from someone "demanding 20 bitcoins to prevent the release of the sex tape, which had already been publicly released eight months earlier,” Jackson said in his lawsuit. 

Jackson claimed that the alleged email was a key factor in his subsequent arrest.

MORE STORIES

The post Khloe Kardashian liked featured Charlie Kirk speaking with a fan at an event about his devout Christian faith
Sep 13, 2025
Whitney Cummings sparked widespread outrage after posting a controversial tweet about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Sep 13, 2025
Prince Harry was spotted entering King Charles’s London residence, months after saying his father had ignored his calls
Sep 11, 2025
Rosie O'Donnell said Ellen DeGeneres’ friendship denial hurt so much she printed T-shirts for her staff reading, 'I don’t know Rosie, we’re not friends'
Sep 10, 2025
A post alleged that Karoline Leavitt called Patti LaBelle 'just a singer,' leading LaBelle to deliver a seven-word response that froze the studio
Sep 10, 2025
Jennifer Lopez feels free channeling emotions into music, but Ben Affleck is embarrassed and sees it as crossing a line, according to the source
Sep 9, 2025
Howard Stern added that he missed last week’s show due to illness, not contract talks, and addressed rumors of being fired from his own show
Sep 9, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement in August 2025 triggered a wave of pregnancy chatter after an ultrasound photo went viral
Sep 9, 2025
Ed Sheeran, 34, revealed that he was leaving Suffolk with his wife Cherry Seaborn and their two daughters, Lyra and Jupiter
Sep 9, 2025
From Ice Spice’s chaotic corset to Paris Hilton’s flame dress, see the celebs who landed on the worst-dressed list at the 2025 VMAs
Sep 8, 2025