Pop Culture

Tiffany Haddish's Ex-Husband Sues Her Over Domestic Violence Allegations

William Stewart has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the comedian over abuse claims made in her 2017 biography.

Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish attends the 2018 Turner Upfront at One Penn Plaza on May 16, 2018 in New York City.
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Tiffany Haddish’s ex-husband is suing the 38-year-old comedian for defamation.

According to TMZ, William Stewart has filed lawsuit against Haddish over domestic violence claims made in her 2017 memoir, The Last Black Unicorn. The book depicts Haddish’s ex-husband as a physically violent stalker who may have caused the death of their unborn child. Though the biography never mentions him by name, Stewart insists his identity is obvious, as he’s the only person to whom the comedian has been married to.

The court documents state Stewart tied the knot in 2008 and divorced five years later. Stewart denies the book’s claims that they married twice and divorced twice. He also disputes the allegations that the was physically violent with Haddish during their marriage, and claims they lost their unborn child because his ex-wife decided to have an abortion.

"For the defendants' own profit, they painted my clients as abusers in a best-selling book. After a thorough review of the facts and evidence, we know that the assertions made by the defendants about my clients in The Last Black Unicorn are patently untrue," Stewarts attorney Michael Sterling told TMZ. "Powerful people and influential corporations can't intentionally and recklessly destroy someone's reputation with malicious lies for their own profit. After exhausting our ability to solve this matter privately, we have been left with no choice, but to seek legal recourse. We look forward to our day in court."

Stewart is suing his ex-wife—as well as the book's co-author Tucker Max and publisher Simon & Schuster—for libel, slander, and defamation. He is asking for more than $1 million in damages.

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