Jada Wins Court Battle, Cashes in on Legal Fees

When you’re involved in a legal dispute, one thing stings almost as much as the lawsuit itself: paying your lawyers. But Jada Pinkett Smith just flipped the script—and walked away with a five-figure check from the other side.

The Red Table Talk host scored $32,836 in attorney’s fees in her court battle with Bilaal Salaam, who claims he’s been friends with Will Smith for decades. The judge awarded her the money after Salaam sued, claiming that Jada and her associates had threatened him and caused him emotional distress. Here’s where it gets interesting: Jada had originally requested $49,181 in legal fees, but the judge decided that was too steep and trimmed it down.

So what sparked this whole thing? According to Salaam’s account, he was called in by Team Smith to help manage the fallout after Will slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Salaam says he turned down the offer, which apparently didn’t sit well. He claims that once Jada and her camp found out he was working on a memoir—one that would presumably discuss his experience with the Smith family—the threats started flying.

Jada, of course, denied everything. She said Salaam suffered no actual damages and that any claims against her were baseless. She pushed the court to dismiss parts of his case, and it worked. Once several claims got axed, Jada turned around and asked the judge to make Salaam pay her legal bills for defending herself.

That request worked too. The judge sided with Jada on the fee award, which means Salaam’s lawsuit just got a whole lot more expensive for him. It’s a reminder that in Hollywood disputes—like everywhere else—the court doesn’t always see things the way the plaintiff hopes.