A California judge struck down Kevin Hart's high-profile extortion claim against his ex-assistant Miesha Shakes Thursday, but the comedian can proceed to trial with separate claims of defamation, invasion of privacy and breach of contract linked to Shakes' tell-all interview with gossip blogger Tasha K published last year.
In a mixed ruling delivered at a morning hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Holly J. Fujie said she wasn't persuaded by an argument from Shakes' lawyer that the non-disclosure agreement Shakes admittedly signed in October 2020 was completely “invalid” because Hart purportedly failed to provide Shakes with the 36 months of healthcare insurance promised under the deal.
“It would have been easy for them to show you copies of checks, copies of paperwork showing healthcare. You got nothing,” Shakes's lawyer Gerri Ryan told the judge. The lawyer said Hart's side provided “no evidentiary facts whatsoever” showing Hart met the terms of the NDA regarding healthcare.
“We submitted a perfectly clear declaration indicating Mr. Hart complied with the terms of the agreement,” Hart's lawyer Stacey Knox countered. Judge Fujie listened to both sides and ultimately ruled that Hart's breach of contract claim met the “minimal merit” standard necessary to move ahead. She made the same ruling related to Hart's defamation and privacy claims, saying they were strong enough to overcome Shakes' challenge.
Striking down Hart's lead claim in the case, Judge Fujie ruled that civil extortion is simply not a viable cause of action under California law. In his lawsuit, Hart alleged that someone representing Shakes and Kebe called one of his representatives in November 2023 and demanded a $250,000 ransom to halt publication of Shakes' purportedly “damaging” Tasha K interview. In a prior declaration to the court, Shakes said she had “no knowledge [of] or involvement” in any effort to demand money from Hart.
It was on Dec. 22, 2023 that Tasha K, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, published the Shakes interview on her website tashaklive.com and required payment of a $12 monthly subscription to access the content. The title read, “Exclusive – Kevin Harts [sic] Personal Assistant Tells All! – Alleged Gambling Addict, Habitual Cheater, Paying Millions to a Man to Take DUI Charges for Him, & Framing Best Friend of 30 years in FAKE EXTORTION PLOT!”
Shakes worked for Hart for nearly three years, starting in late 2017. In his lawsuit filed last December, Hart claimed Shakes “made statements during the [Kebe] interview that were false, including that Hart purportedly recorded a video of a sexual encounter and faced criminal charges regarding that supposed incident.” The incident in question involved Hart's 2017 Las Vegas sex tape scandal. In her sworn declaration to the court signed in May, Shakes said that when she used the word “charges” in the Kebe interview, she had “no intent to imply he was criminally charged.” She was referring to claims in a civil action, she told the court.
Hart, meanwhile, has been sued twice over his highly publicized sex tape scandal. One lawsuit was filed by his ex-friend Jonathan “JT” Jackson and involved claims Hart falsely implicated Jackson in an extortion plot related to the tape and then failed to “publicly exonerate” him as promised in a settlement agreement. A judge recently forced that $12 million breach of contract claim into private arbitration. Jackson is appealing that decision.
Hart included Kebe as a defendant in his lawsuit against Shakes. He sued both women for civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. His breach of contract claim was against Shakes only, while a separate claim for contract interference was filed against Kebe, her production studio and an entertainment company run by Kebe's husband. Last April, Judge Fujie dismissed the extortion claim against the Kebe defendants but upheld the contract interference claim along with the privacy and defamation claims against Kebe as an individual. A jury trial in the case is set for April 7, 2025.
Kebe, meanwhile, is no stranger to defamation allegations. A federal judge in Georgia previously ordered her to take down more than a dozen videos and several social media posts that made “false and defamatory” statements about Cardi B. That followed after Cardi B won a $4 million defamation verdict against her.
