Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears are being accused of grooming and molesting two young siblings by coercing them into filming explicit skits for a “Funny or Die” video. Still, Tiffany’s legal team is calling the lawsuit nothing more than a “shakedown” and “extortion.”
The comedians are being sued by an unnamed brother and sister, referred to as John Doe and Jane Doe, who were seven years old and 14 years old, respectively, at the time of the alleged incidents, according to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ.
The siblings claim they’ve been traumatized for life following the reported grooming and sexual assault, with the boy accusing both Haddish and Spears of molestation.
Lawsuit Claims Siblings Were Groomed, Molested By Haddish And Spears For “Comedy Skits”
The lawsuit states that the older sister said Haddish gained her trust before convincing her to perform in a sexually suggestive video, where the comedienne taught the girl how to mimic fellatio.
TMZ reports that the younger brother was only 7 when Haddish took him to a home where she and Spears reportedly molested him while filming a “Funny or Die” video called “Through a Pedophiles Eyes.”
Haddish’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, is calling the lawsuit an extortion attempt and one that has been some time in the making, telling the outlet that the “Plaintiff’s mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years.”
Haddish’s Attorney Calls Lawsuit “Shakedown” And Extortion, Calls Claims “Bogus, Meritless”
Brettler went on to say that “every attorney who has initially taken on her case… ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless.”
“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.”
Meanwhile, “Funny or Die” has completely distanced themselves from the situation, and telling TMZ “they had no involvement in creating the video.”
The website added that they found the video “absolutely disgusting” and “would never produce such content.”
“‘Funny Or Die’ found this video absolutely disgusting and would never produce such content. We were not involved with the conceptualization, development, funding, or production of this video. It was uploaded to the site as user-generated content and was removed in 2018 immediately after becoming aware of its existence.”
The siblings claim Haddish had previously befriended their mother.
Siblings Claim Trauma In Wake Of Abuse, Have Both Developed Social Disorders, Lawsuit States
The older sister states that the resulting trauma has affected her dating life, as “she’s scared she will be taken advantage of” and “led down a path of false trust like the path that Haddish led her down.”
Both brother and sister allege they’ve developed social disorders in the wake of the abuse, with the boy reportedly being so paranoid of being watched or recorded that he puts band-aids over every camera he sees.
The siblings are seeking unspecified damages from the comedians.
The pair had said their mother had previously attempted to reach a $15,000 settlement with Spears regarding the alleged molestation video.
