Jada Pinkett Smith is pushing back as her dispute with Bilaal Salaam expands. Salaam wants to question Will Smith, but Jada’s lawyer says the request lacks a legal basis.
Will Smith deposition request draws blunt response from Jada’s lawyer
TMZ reported on July 17 that Salaam asked to depose Will as part of his $3 million lawsuit against Jada. The outlet reviewed an email exchange that Jada attached to a court motion. Salaam sent the request to Jada’s lawyer on July 7. Her legal team answered, “As for your proposed deposition of Will Smith, there is nothing to meet and confer about.”
TMZ reported that the lawyer stressed that Will is not a party to the case and has not received a subpoena. The exchange appeared in Jada’s motion asking the court to order Salaam to produce more evidence. Her filing claims he has not provided medical records to support his allegations of emotional distress.
Salaam sued Jada in 2025 and accused her of threatening him during a 2021 confrontation. He also alleged that people connected to her targeted him after he refused to help manage the fallout from Will’s Oscars slap and began planning a memoir about the Smith family.
Jada has denied wrongdoing. Her legal team previously challenged the complaint under California’s anti-SLAPP law, and a judge later dismissed several claims. The court ordered Salaam to pay Jada $32,836 in attorney fees.
The case remains active. Salaam recently asked the judge to require Jada to sit for another deposition within 30 days. Her lawyers argued that she had already answered questions in a related proceeding and proposed limiting any additional questioning to one hour.
Now, Salaam wants Will to testify as well. However, the latest filing does not show that he has formally subpoenaed the actor, and the court has not ordered Will to appear. The blunt response from Jada’s lawyer makes her position clear: the team does not believe an informal request obligates Will to participate. A judge will decide whether Salaam can obtain additional testimony or evidence as the case moves forward in the coming months.
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