A dispute between Kevin Hart and his former assistant has taken a new turn, with court filings indicating that she wants a woman connected to a 2017 matter to appear as a witness.
According to court documents reported this week, Miesha Shakes is seeking testimony from Montia Sabbag as part of the comedian's ongoing lawsuit against her. Shakes reportedly intends to question Sabbag about a 2017 recording and the investigation that followed. She also plans to testify herself and to call Hart as a witness, according to the filings.
None of the underlying allegations has been proven in court. Hart has denied wrongdoing, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
How the lawsuit started
Hart reportedly sued Shakes in December 2023 after she discussed his private life during an interview with a blogger. His complaint accused her of defamation and of breaching a nondisclosure agreement she signed while employed by his company, where she reportedly worked from August 2017 to October 2020.
Shakes has argued that the agreement is invalid, contending that Hart failed to meet certain obligations under it. Hart disputes that position and alleges that her public comments damaged his reputation. In June 2026, he reportedly asked a judge to order Shakes to pay $50,000, citing a damages provision in the agreement.
Shakes has maintained that Hart's reputation had already been affected by his own prior conduct, pointing to the 2017 matter as an example.
The 2017 matter resurfaces
Sabbag became publicly linked to Hart after a private encounter in Las Vegas was reportedly recorded in 2017 without her knowledge. The episode was followed by an extortion investigation involving a former associate of Hart's.
Sabbag sued Hart in 2019, alleging he was involved in recording the encounter without her consent. Hart denied the allegation. Her federal lawsuit was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds in 2020, and a separate case filed in California state court was dismissed without prejudice in June 2023 after, according to reports, neither Sabbag nor her attorney appeared at a court conference. A judge reportedly denied a request to reinstate that case in February 2024.
Those rulings did not establish whether Sabbag's allegations were true. They were procedural outcomes, not findings on the merits.
What happens next
It is not yet clear whether Sabbag will testify, and a judge would weigh any request to compel a witness against the relevance and scope of the questions. The lawsuit between Hart and Shakes remains active, with the NDA's validity and the damages claim still unresolved.
No trial date tied to the testimony request has been confirmed in the reporting reviewed, and the parties have not publicly settled. The next filings are expected to clarify whether the 2017 matter will formally re-enter the case or stay outside its boundaries.
