Aries Spears Breaks Silence on Child Molestation Suit with Tiffany Haddish
Aries Spears has broken his silence on the child molestation suit with fellow comedian Tiffany Haddish.
In a preview to his podcast “Spears & Steinberg,” Spears admits that there is not much that can be said since the lawsuit is still pending but thanked his fans for the support during this time. Later in the preview, he calls the lawsuit an “extortion case” and a shakedown, saying, “We won’t be shaken down.”
Spears’ comments come days after Haddish took to social media to also give a response to the abuse lawsuit. In a statement posted to Instagram Monday (Sept. 5), the Girls Trip actress wrote, “I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now.”
“But,” she continued, “clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn’t funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can.”
The lawsuit in question was filed on Tuesday (Aug. 30) in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by a 22-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe for her brother, a minor born in 2007 who is identified as John Doe. John Doe is under Jane Doe’s legal guardianship. The suit alleges that both of them were assaulted by Haddish and Spears in Los Angeles years ago when they were minors.
“Plaintiff’s mother … has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years,” Brettler said in a statement shared with USA Today. “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.”
Spears’ legal team reiterated Haddish’s statement The Mad TV star’s attorney Debra Opri said in a statement to USA Today that he “isn’t going to fall for any shakedown.” The suit claims that due to Haddish’s and Spears’ alleged actions, John and Jane Doe both suffer from social disorders, while John additionally struggles with anxiety and depression.
“The plaintiffs are both traumatized for life” as a result of Haddish’s and Spears’ actions, the lawsuit alleges. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges, “Similar to the manner in which Giselle (sic) Maxwell groomed young girls for Jeffrey Epstein, upon information and belief, Haddish made Plaintiff Jane Doe feel comfortable and special, but this was all a grooming tactic by Haddish to entice and coerce both children into filming sexually explicit child pornography skits.”
The suit does not specify the monetary value the plaintiffs are seeking.
