Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears accused of child sexual abuse in lawsuit; their reps call it a ‘shakedown’

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

Comedians Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears have been accused of having “groomed and molested” two then-minor siblings years ago, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The complainants are referred to as “Jane Doe” and “John Doe” in the suit, which states their names are being withheld to protect their privacy.

According to the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, “Jane Doe” and “John Doe” were 14 and 7, respectively, when they allege that Haddish and Spears had them participate in sexually suggestive videos in separate incidents in 2013 and 2014.

When reached for comment by CNN, attorneys for Haddish and Spears called the allegations “bogus” and a “shakedown,” respectively.

According to the complaint, Haddish was a “longtime family friend” of the mother of the siblings who filed the lawsuit.

“Jane Doe” was enrolled in a comedy camp in 2013, where Haddish was a guest speaker and told the then-teen girl “she had a perfect role for her,” the complaint states.

The star allegedly drove the girl to a studio where she and Spears showed her a video of “an older man and a college-age woman” eating a sandwich simultaneously from either end, while “moaning and making sexual noises as they both ate the sandwich in a manner that simulated the act of fellatio.”

“Spears then told Plaintiff Jane Doe that he wanted her to mimic what she had seen on the screen, including the noises precisely like what she heard throughout the video,” the suit states. “Plaintiff Jane Doe, nervous and disgusted, didn’t say anything until Haddish came into the room next to her and sat down. Haddish verbally explained what was expected of Plaintiff Jane Doe and then showed Plaintiff Jane Doe how to give fellatio, including movements, noises, moaning, and groaning.”

“Physically, emotionally, and mentally uncomfortable, Plaintiff Jane Doe mimicked the acts that Haddish and Spears wanted her to do so she could go home,” the complaint continues.

Haddish allegedly then paid her $100 and sent her home, according to the complaint.

“John Doe” alleges that in summer 2014, Haddish “offered to book, arrange, and film Mr. Doe content for a Nickelodeon sizzle reel at the home of Spears. Haddish claimed the reel would be used to book Mr. Doe on Nickelodeon.”

“Upon information and belief, Haddish and Spears removed the 7-year-old victim from his sister, placed him upstairs in a bedroom, and stripped the child down to his underwear,” according to the suit. “The video was entitled ‘Through A Pedophiles Eyes’ and shows Spears lusting over the 7-year-old child” and rubbing his back.

Haddish was present during the filming of the entire video, the complaint states.

Photos allegedly from the video shoot are included in the complaint.

An attorney for Haddish said in a statement to CNN that the plaintiff’s mother “has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years.”

“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,” the statement read, adding that the mother “has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action.”

The mother of the plaintiffs is named in the statement. CNN is not including her name in our reporting to protect the privacy of her then-minor children. Jane Doe is now 22 and the legal guardian of John Doe, now 15, according to the complaint.

“He isn’t going to fall for any shakedown,” Debra Opri, an attorney for Spears, said in a statement to CNN.

The-CNN-Wire
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