Jada Pinkett Smith has been awarded thousands in legal fees after a judge ruled in her favor during part of her court fight with Bilaal Salaam.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered Salaam to pay Jada $32,836 for attorney’s fees tied to the lawsuit he filed against her. The actress and talk show host initially requested more than $49,000, but the court reduced the amount, per TMZ.
Salaam previously accused Jada of causing emotional distress through alleged threats involving her and people connected to her.
The lawsuit gained attention because Salaam claimed he had been a close friend of Will Smith’s for years and was contacted after the actor’s infamous Oscars slap with Chris Rock in 2022.
According to Salaam, he was allegedly asked by people associated with the Smith family to help manage fallout from the incident and that things took a left turn after he declined and began preparing a memoir discussing his relationship with the family.
Salaam alleged that Jada and others threatened him after learning about the project.
Jada denied wrongdoing and challenged claims that Salaam suffered damages as a result of her actions. Court documents show she later sought attorney’s fees after persuading the judge to dismiss some of the claims brought against her.
Will Smith’s longtime friend and former assistant, Bilaal Salaam (a.k.a. Brother Bilaal), has filed a $3 million lawsuit against Jada Pinkett Smith. now has pneumonia pic.twitter.com/TlWCTSAJb2
— December’s 12/18 Coldest (@SagittariusN2U) January 16, 2026