Tiffany Haddish just walked away with a hefty victory that adds a nice sum to her already impressive portfolio. But this time, it’s not from a stand-up gig or a blockbuster film; it’s from a legal battle with someone she once called a friend.
Court documents reveal that Haddish was awarded nearly $100,000 in legal fees after her former friend, Trizah Morris, accused her and fellow comedian Aries Spears of defamation. The legal drama began back in 2023 when Trizah decided to file a lawsuit against the duo.
At the time, she claimed that her children, who are now adults, were the ones who initially sued the comedians in 2020. Their lawsuit alleged that Tiffany and Aries exploited them in inappropriate sketches that sexualized them. Both Tiffany and Aries stood firm, denying any wrongdoing and asserting that the lawsuit was merely a shakedown attempt to get some cash out of her.
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Fast forward to September 2022, when Trizah’s daughter decided to drop the case. But Trizah wasn’t done yet… A year later, she filed her own lawsuit, claiming that Tiffany and Aries had defamed her during the legal tussle involving her children. In her complaint, she stated, “On or about September 2022, Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears, respectively, and/or their representatives, respectively, … gave permission to publish defamatory, slanderous, and libel comments to the press, news media, and social media outlets about Trizah Morris that were published world-wide.” Trizah alleged that Tiffany and Aries’ camp painted her as an extortionist in the wake of her children’s lawsuit.
Her legal filing went on to assert, “The statements made against Trizah Morris are malicious, defamatory and slanderous representation of Trizah Morris.” She specifically pointed to Aries Spears’ claims that she was a “shakedown artist.” Trizah declared, “Trizah Morris never extorted or attempted to extort Tiffany Haddish and/or Aries Spears,” emphasizing that these accusations severely tarnished her reputation. She lamented that her name and image appeared in various blogs and media reports worldwide, branding her as the devious “ex-friend” of Tiffany Haddish.
Trizah claimed that the fallout from these alleged false accusations impacted her both personally and professionally. However, Tiffany wasn’t backing down. She argued that Trizah had signed a settlement agreement concerning her children’s case, which resolved all claims between the parties involved.
According to Tiffany, the settlement explicitly stated that any disputes would be handled in arbitration. In November 2023, the court obliged Tiffany’s request to keep the proceedings out of the public eye. The arbitrator ultimately sided with Tiffany, ruling that the settlement agreement Trizah signed released all claims against her, effectively blocking any defamation lawsuit.
In the end, the arbitrator ruled that Trizah had no case against Tiffany and awarded the comedian a whopping $95,198 in legal fees. Whew!
