Jada Pinkett Smith Dodges Deposition in Will Smith Friend's Lawsuit

The legal drama between Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s former friend Bilaal Salaam just got messier. Bilaal is pushing a judge to force Jada to sit for a full deposition within 30 days, but according to court documents, the actress has been sidestepping the process—she no-showed to a scheduled May 20 deposition and shows no sign of budging now.

Here’s where this gets interesting: Bilaal’s lawsuit centers on claims that Jada authorized threats against him after he refused to help Will clean up the fallout from the Chris Rock slap at the 2022 Oscars. Things escalated further, Bilaal says, when Jada learned he was planning to write a memoir that would spill details about the Smith family. Jada has denied all allegations and already got the majority of the suit thrown out in April, so she’s clearly in a strong position legally.

But the real sticking point now is the deposition itself. Jada’s legal team is arguing she’s already given a deposition in a separate lawsuit filed by Bilaal, so why do it again? They’re pushing back hard, requesting that any additional questioning be capped at just one hour. For Bilaal, who believes her testimony is crucial to proving his case, that hour limitation feels like a cop-out. A judge hasn’t ruled yet, but the clock is ticking on whether Jada will have to answer for her communications and actions—or whether she’ll continue to avoid the hot seat.

This case highlights a pattern that’s become familiar in high-profile legal fights: depositions as a game of chicken. One side wants answers; the other side wants to minimize exposure. With most of Bilaal’s suit already dismissed, Jada’s team clearly thinks they’ve already won the war. But leaving the deposition question unresolved keeps the whole saga in limbo—and leaves Bilaal with less ammunition to prove what he claims happened behind closed doors in the Smith household.