Tiffany Haddish Releases Statement Regarding Accusations of Grooming and Sexually Assaulting Two Children, “I Deeply Regret Having Agreed to Act in It”
Just last week, comedians Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears were accused of grooming and sexually assaulting two underage siblings on separate occasions in 2013 and 2014.
Both are now being sued over the accusations, and Tiffany’s lawyers call this ordeal a “shakedown.”
Early Monday morning, Tiffany released a statement on her Instagram, which read:
“I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now. But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn’t funny at all — and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about the situation as soon as I can.”
Tiffany is the first to break her silence to address the lawsuit that has since been filed.
Comedians Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears have been accused in a new lawsuit of forcing a sister and her younger brother to perform in sexually suggestive comedy skits when they were minors, resulting in them being “traumatized for life.”
A 22-year-old anonymous plaintiff identified as Jane Doe in court documents filed a lawsuit Aug. 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of herself and her younger brother, who is a minor. Jane Doe is John Doe’s legal guardian, according to the documents.
The lawsuit accuses the “Girls Trip” star and Spears, a former “MADtv” star, of intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence, sexual battery, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse of a minor. Haddish is also accused of negligent supervision/failure to warn, breach of fiduciary duty, and constructive fraud.
The plaintiffs are seeking “any appropriate punitive or exemplary damages” as well as “any appropriate statutory damages” and “further relief as the court may deem proper,” according to court documents.
Attorneys for Spears and Haddish both issued responses to NBC News regarding the lawsuit.
“He isn’t going to fall for any shakedown,” Debra Opri, the attorney for Spears, said in a statement.
“Plaintiff’s mother … has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years,” Haddish’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement. “Every attorney who has initially taken on her case — and there were several — ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down.”
Brettler added that the plaintiffs’ mother now “has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit” and that the plaintiffs “will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action.” The plaintiffs’ mother has not commented publicly on these allegations against her, though The Daily Beast reports that she filed a police report against Haddish and Spears in January 2020 but nothing came of it.
[wp_radio_station id=”41843″]
Jane Doe claimed that her brother was barley 7 when “Aunty Tiff” brought him to a home where she and Spears molested him while filming a Funny or Die video titled “Through a Pedophiles Eyes.” In the suit, the siblings said they met Haddish through their mother who was friends with Haddish, adding that the Funny or Die video featuring John Doe was published online when he was too young to consent.
Jane Doe said that the incident has ruined her dating lie and that she is afraid to be “led down a path of false trust like the path that Haddish led her down.”
TIFFANY HADDISH’S ATTORNEY RELEASES A STATEMENT
Meanwhile, Tiffany Haddish’s attorney Andrew Bretler denied the allegations, claiming the suit is an extortion attempt. He also claimed that the plaintiff’s mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to “assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years.”
He said, “Every attorney who has initially taken on her case — and there were several — ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down. Now, Ms. Morris has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action.”