A woman accused of extortion and other allegations by Kevin Hart has declared bankruptcy and is asking a judge to put a temporary halt on the lawsuit he filed against her and Hart’s former personal aide.
Attorneys for Latasha Transrina Kebe filed a notice of bankruptcy on Monday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Fujie, who will determine whether a stay should take place. The filing comes in advance of a hearing scheduled Thursday on Hart’s request for a court order directing removal from social media the conversation between Hart’s ex-personal assistant, Miesha Shakes, and Kebe, who also is known as Tasha K.
Hart and his company, K. Hart Enterprises Inc., have suffered “irreparable harm from the continued publication and broadcasting of the Interview and related content, which includes defamatory statements, including false statements regarding Hart’s supposed criminal conduct, which are damaging to his reputation and thereby to his livelihood as a performer …” Hart’s lawyers maintain in their court papers.
Hart’s allegations against Kebe are civil extortion, intentional interference with contractual relations and invasion of privacy. He accuses Shakes of defamation, civil extortion, invasion of privacy and breach of contract. Hart and Shakes had a non-disclosure agreement and Shakes breached that accord, Hart’s lawyers allege.
“Defendants initially attempted to extort Hart into paying defendants a ransom to keep them from publishing the Interview, which they threatened would include private and damaging information about plaintiffs,” Hart’s attorneys’ court papers state. “When Hart declined to pay that ransom, defendants followed through on their threat and proceeded to publish the interview.”
The pair’s statements are “false and defamatory on their face” and the assertion that Hart faced criminal charges could easily have been disproved with “even minimal investigation,” according to Hart’s lawyers.
Shakes worked for Hart’s company from August 2017 to October 2020, the complaint filed Dec. 26 states.
Published on Kebe’s Instagram account and YouTube channel Unwine with Tasha K on Dec. 22, the interview includes allegations from Shakes that Hart, 44, had an affair at his office. Shakes also said she told Hart’s wife, Eniko, that he was being unfaithful.
The conversation interview had a preview that stated, “The interview that Kevin Hart will wish never came out,” the suit states.
The interview is still viewable online.