Comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish has responded to sexual abuse allegations against her in a statement on social media.
On August 30, a 22-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe sued Tiffany in California’s Superior Court for Los Angeles County, on behalf of herself and a minor identified as John Doe, her younger brother.
In court documents obtained by People, Jane claimed that the actress “groomed” the plaintiffs, leaving them “traumatized for life.”
Jane alleges that when she was 14, Tiffany took her to the taping of a “sexually suggestive Subways commercial” and allegedly instructed her how to perform inappropriate sexual acts.
Tiffany has now spoken out for the first time since she was named in the molestation lawsuit, releasing a statement on Instagram on September 5.
Tiffany Haddish responds to sexual abuse lawsuit
In the statement, Tiffany 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.”
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“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 comedian’s lawyer Andrew Brettler, categorically denied the claims presented in the lawsuit.
In a statement made to Vanity Fair about the lawsuit, he said 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,” he said.
He continued: “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.”
