Montia Sabbag, the woman at the centre of Kevin Hart’s 2017 Las Vegas sex tape scandal, may be called back into a courtroom nine years after the controversy first erupted.
Hart’s former personal assistant, Miesha Shakes, has identified Sabbag as a potential witness in her ongoing legal dispute with the comedian, according to court documents obtained by TMZ and reported on October 7, 2026.
Shakes wants Sabbag to answer questions about the 2017 incident and the extortion investigation that followed. If a judge allows her testimony, the details of one of the most damaging episodes of Hart’s career could enter the court record again, this time in a dispute about a non-disclosure agreement that has nothing directly to do with the original tape.
Hart filed the current case in December 2023. Hart sued Shakes and YouTube personality Latasha “Tasha K” Kebe for extortion, defamation, breach of contract, and invasion of privacy after Shakes gave a tell-all interview to Kebe about her time working as Hart’s assistant. Hart alleges that the pair demanded $250,000 to not publish the interview and that Shakes violated her NDA by discussing his personal life.
Shakes has been fighting back on multiple fronts. Among her defences, the NDA is unenforceable because Hart allegedly failed to meet his end of it, and he has damaged his own reputation through his conduct over the years. The 2017 scandal, she argues, is one example of that pattern.
Sabbag’s potential testimony is one piece of that strategy. Shakes also plans to take the stand herself and intends to call Hart as a witness. The case is open in Los Angeles Superior Court. No trial date has been publicly set.
Montia Sabbag Witness Role: Why She Matters to the Shakes Case
For nine years, one weekend in Las Vegas in August 2017 has almost entirely defined Montia Sabbag’s connection to Hart. Her potential testimony in the current case would reach back to that weekend and the investigation that followed, pulling details into a courtroom that most observers assumed were long settled.
Shakes identified Sabbag in her filings as someone with direct knowledge of the 2017 incident and the subsequent extortion inquiry. According to TMZ’s report, Shakes wants to question Sabbag about:
- The circumstances of the recording itself
- The extortion investigation that followed
- Sabbag’s interactions with Hart and his associates during that period
- How the incident affected Hart’s public reputation
Shakes’s underlying argument is that Hart’s reputation was already damaged by his own behaviour long before she gave her interview to Tasha K. If Hart’s claim is that Shakes defamed him and injured his good name, Shakes wants to show the court that Hart’s name had suffered its own injuries years earlier, through conduct he admitted to on Instagram in a public video apology to his pregnant wife.
Sabbag’s testimony, if permitted, would place that history on the record from a firsthand witness. For a legal strategy aimed at undermining Hart’s reputational damage claim, having the woman from the 2017 tape describe the incident in open court would be difficult to beat for impact.
Whether Sabbag will testify is still uncertain. A judge has not ruled on whether her testimony will be allowed. Sabbag herself has not publicly indicated whether she will agree to appear or whether she would need to be compelled by subpoena.
Who Is Montia Sabbag
Montia Sabbag is an American model. She was 28 years old in 2017 when she met Kevin Hart. She is approximately 37 now.
Before 2017, Sabbag had maintained a low profile. She had modelling work but was not a public figure. That changed when TMZ published a report on September 10, 2017, describing a “graphic” video that showed Hart with a woman who was not his wife.
Sabbag was identified as that woman in the days that followed. In September 2017, she held a press conference alongside celebrity attorney Lisa Bloom to publicly deny any involvement in the recording of the video or in the extortion attempt that followed. She acknowledged that she appears in the recording but has maintained since then that she did not film it, did not consent to being filmed, and had no role in trying to monetise it.
That public position has not changed in the nine years since.
In 2019, Sabbag filed a $60 million lawsuit against Hart, Jonathan “J.T.” Jackson, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and other related parties. The suit accused them of intentional infliction of emotional distress, violations of privacy, and negligence. Sabbag alleged that Hart and Jackson had conspired to create the tape to generate publicity for Hart’s irresponsible tour.
Hart denied the allegations. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
The 2017 Las Vegas Scandal: What Happened
The scandal that produced the current witness request started with a trip to Las Vegas in August 2017.
Hart, who was 38 at the time and whose wife, Eniko Parrish, was pregnant with their first child together, travelled to Las Vegas with Jonathan Todd “J.T.” Jackson, a long-time friend. The two stayed at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
In an August 2023 deposition from a separate lawsuit, Hart described taking the drug Molly (MDMA) that weekend after being pressured by a friend. He said he met Sabbag and another woman named Morgan and brought them to his hotel suite.
Hart said in the deposition that he did not have sex with Sabbag the first night. He had sex with her the following morning. He also said in the deposition that Sabbag appeared to be positioning herself near what later turned out to be a hidden camera.
Soon after the Las Vegas trip, someone sent Hart’s wife Eniko an anonymous message claiming her husband was cheating. The message reportedly included a Dropbox link containing an edited video of Hart engaged in an intimate act with a woman.
The footage leaked publicly in September 2017. The FBI began investigating the extortion plot.
On September 16, 2017, Hart posted a public video apology to his Instagram account. He addressed his wife and children directly and acknowledged what he called a bad lapse in judgement. He did not name Sabbag.
In the comments on that Instagram post, Jackson allegedly wrote a message suggesting Hart should pay $5 million or the video would be released. That comment later became the basis for an extortion charge against Jackson, though the charge was ultimately dismissed because prosecutors concluded a public Instagram comment did not fit the legal definition of extortion.
Jonathan Jackson: Hart’s Friend Who Became an Investigation Target
Jonathan Todd “J.T.” Jackson, Hart’s long-time friend, became the central figure in the extortion investigation that followed the tape’s release.
Prosecutors alleged that Jackson had set up a hidden camera in Hart’s Las Vegas hotel suite and recorded the encounter with Sabbag. Jackson was arrested in 2018 and charged with multiple felonies, including attempted extortion, attempted concealment and sale of stolen property, and two counts of unauthorised use of personal identifying information.
In October 2019, a Los Angeles judge dismissed the count of extortion by threatening letter. In October 2021, the remaining charges against Jackson were all dropped.
Jackson and Hart reached a settlement agreement in 2021. Under the terms of that settlement, Hart was reportedly required to make a public statement declaring Jackson’s innocence and acknowledging that the scandal had cost him a valuable friendship.
In July 2024, Jackson filed a $12 million breach of contract lawsuit against Hart, alleging that Hart had not fulfilled the settlement’s requirements. That case has produced its own trail of court filings, including the August 2023 deposition in which Hart described taking Molly and meeting Sabbag.
The Jackson case and the Shakes case are separate. But both have roots in the same 2017 weekend, and the testimony requests in both cases could bring new details of that weekend into the public record.
The Shakes Case: NDA, Interview, and Extortion Claims
Hart filed the current lawsuit that could bring Sabbag back into court in December 2023.
Miesha Shakes worked as Hart’s personal assistant from August 2017 to October 2020. During that time, she signed a non-disclosure agreement that, according to Hart’s filings, prohibited her from discussing the private lives or employment status of Hart Enterprises employees.
In December 2023, Shakes gave an interview to Latasha “Tasha K” Kebe on the YouTube channel “Unwine with Tasha K.” The interview was titled “Kevin Hart’s Personal Assistant Tells All!”
In the interview, Shakes made several allegations about Hart:
- That he had a serious gambling problem
- That he had cheated on his wife multiple times
- That he had filmed at least one of those encounters
- That he had gotten one woman pregnant
- That he had engaged in an intimate relationship with a woman in his employ
Hart’s lawsuit alleges that before the interview was published, Kebe or someone acting on her behalf demanded $250,000 to refrain from releasing the video. Hart contacted the police and sent a cease-and-desist letter.
The interview was published on December 7, 2023.
Hart filed suit later that month in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The complaint named both Shakes and Kebe as defendants and included claims of extortion, defamation, breach of contract (against Shakes), invasion of privacy, and intentional interference with contractual relations (against Kebe).
In 2024, a Los Angeles judge dismissed the extortion claim but allowed the defamation and breach of contract claims to proceed.
Shakes has argued, among other defences, that her NDA is unenforceable because Hart allegedly did not fulfil his obligation to provide her with three years of health insurance under the terms of her 2017 employment contract.
The Timeline That Connects It All
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 2017 | Hart and Jackson travel to Las Vegas; Hart meets Montia Sabbag at The Cosmopolitan. |
| August 2017 | Sabbag was Hart’s personal assistant from this month. |
| September 10, 2017 | TMZ reports on the sex tape; Hart identified; Sabbag soon identified |
| September 16, 2017 | Hart posts a video apology to his wife, Eniko, on Instagram. |
| 2018 | J.T. Jackson was charged with multiple felonies, including attempted extortion. |
| 2019 | Sabbag files $60 million lawsuit against Hart, Jackson, and Cosmopolitan. |
| October 2019 | Judge dismisses extortion by threatening letter count against Jackson. |
| October 2020 | Shakes’s employment with Hart ends. |
| 2021 | All remaining charges against Jackson dropped; Hart and Jackson reach settlement |
| 2022 | Sabbag’s $60 million lawsuit dismissed |
| August 2023 | Hart’s deposition in the Jackson case details the Las Vegas weekend. |
| December 7, 2023 | Shakes interview with Tasha K published on YouTube |
| December 2023 | Hart files lawsuit against Shakes and Tasha K. |
| 2024 | The judge dismisses the extortion claim but allows defamation and breach of contract to proceed. |
| July 2024 | Jackson files $12 million breach of contract lawsuit against Hart |
| October 6-7, 2026 | Court documents reveal Shakes wants Sabbag to testify. |
What Comes Next in the Hart-Shakes Case
The next step in the Shakes case depends on whether the court permits Shakes to call Sabbag as a witness and whether Sabbag can be compelled to appear.
Several possibilities remain open:
The judge allows Sabbag’s testimony. This would place Sabbag in a courtroom answering direct questions about the 2017 incident for the first time in a formal legal proceeding, as she settled her case before it reached trial. The questioning would likely frame her prior public statements, deposition in her own case, and press conference statements from 2017.
The judge limits or denies Sabbag’s testimony. Hart’s lawyers would almost certainly argue that the 2017 scandal is irrelevant to the question of whether Shakes breached her 2017 NDA by giving a 2023 interview. If the court agrees, Shakes would need to make her reputational-damage argument without Sabbag’s testimony.
Sabbag refuses to testify. Even if the court approves her as a witness, Sabbag would need to be subpoenaed to compel her appearance. She has not indicated publicly whether she would cooperate voluntarily.
Hart testifies. Shakes has stated she intends to call Hart as a witness as well. If Hart takes the stand, questions about his personal life, his relationships with Shakes and Sabbag, and the circumstances of the 2017 scandal would be raised.
The case is open and ongoing. No trial date has been publicly disclosed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Montia Sabbag?
Montia Sabbag is an American model who was identified in 2017 as the woman in a sex tape with comedian Kevin Hart. She was 28 at the time and met Hart in Las Vegas in August 2017. She has consistently denied any involvement in the filming or in the extortion attempt that followed.
Why is Montia Sabbag being asked to testify?
Kevin Hart’s former assistant Miesha Shakes identified Sabbag as a potential witness in her ongoing legal dispute with Hart. Shakes wants to question Sabbag about the 2017 incident and the extortion investigation that followed as part of her defence argument that Hart damaged his own reputation long before she gave her interview to Tasha K.
What was the scandal involving Kevin Hart’s sex tape in 2017?
In August 2017, Hart met Sabbag in Las Vegas and had an encounter at The Cosmopolitan hotel, where they secretly recorded it. The video surfaced in September 2017. Hart posted a public video apology to his pregnant wife Eniko. His long-time friend Jonathan “J.T.” Jackson was later charged with attempting to extort Hart over the tape. All charges against Jackson were eventually dropped.
Did Montia Sabbag sue Kevin Hart?
Yes. In 2019, Sabbag filed a $60 million lawsuit against Hart, Jackson, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and other related parties. The suit was eventually dismissed.
What is the Miesha Shakes case about?
Hart sued Shakes in December 2023, alleging that she breached a non-disclosure agreement by discussing his personal life in an interview with YouTuber Tasha K. Hart’s lawsuit also alleges that Shakes and Kebe demanded $250,000 to not publish the interview. Shakes argues the NDA is unenforceable because Hart allegedly failed to provide promised health insurance.
Will Kevin Hart have to testify?
Shakes has indicated she plans to call Hart as a witness. Whether he will be required to take the stand depends on how the court proceedings unfold. No trial date has been publicly set.
