Jada Pinkett Smith’s attorneys are again asking that a judge issue a standard protective order in her upcoming video deposition by a former friend of Will Smith, saying it will sufficiently stop any public distribution of confidential portions of the testimony.
The suit is related to Bilaal Salaam’s allegations that the actress and talk show host became upset after Salaam refused to do some crisis management following the 94th Academy Awards incident when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage. Salaam further alleges that he received threats after Pinkett Smith learned that he planned to publish a memoir talking about her personal business.
Salaam contends that the 54-year-old Pinkett Smith’s testimony is essential as he gathers discovery in a legal battle in which he is representing himself. But in court papers filed Wednesday with Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Eric Harmon in advance of a Sept. 22 hearing, Pinkett Smith’s lawyers argue that Salaam’s proposed revisions in the court’s regular deposition protective order are unwarranted.
Pinkett Smith’s lawyers additionally say that Salaam has refused to budge from his contention that the proposed protective order should not stop him from disclosing confidential materials to law enforcement and that he should be able to reveal information he contends he possessed before the current litigation.
Pinkett Smith’s attorneys state they have agreed to Salaam’s request that the protective order would not apply to a prior civil harassment court proceeding involving the two sides, but the parties remain at an impasse because Salaam continues to insist on the same two proposed modifications even though the judge previously rejected them.
The parties have agreed that Pinkett Smith’s video deposition will occur remotely on Oct. 20 once they can come to terms on the scope of the protective order, according to the actress’ attorneys’ court papers.
Salaam has repeatedly given media interviews about the case, creating concern by Pinkett Smith that confidential information could be disseminated without a strong enough protective order, the Pinkett Smith attorneys further contend in their pleadings.
The standard Los Angeles County protective order provides the procedures necessary to designate confidential deposition testimony, challenge those designations if appropriate and ensure confidential discovery materials are used in the current litigation, the actress’ attorneys state in their court papers.
In his previous court papers, Salaam, a Van Nuys resident representing himself, said that Pinkett Smith’s deposition is “foundational to every subsequent examination in this case: and that he cannot effectively depose any intermediary witness until he knows what the actress admits and denies under oath.
Pinkett Smith’s attorneys say the deposition should be limited to a maximum two hours.
Salaam filed the lawsuit last Nov. 7 and it was pared through a judge’s partial granting of Pinkett Smith’s anti-SLAPP motion on April 13. The surviving claims concern Pinkett Smith’s alleged threats, coercion and intimidation of Salaam through intermediaries.