UPDATED 3/16/20, 6:30 p.m. ET: According to court docs obtained by The Blast, Kevin Hart's case against Stand Up Digital has been closed with a federal judge dismissing all claims against the company. Hart alleged that the company owed him money from the sales of the app they worked on.
"The case against Kevin Hart is dismissed," Donte Mills, Hart's attorney, said, per The Blast. "The company brought a baseless claim and was not only kicked out of court but will be forced to pay him because of it. This is a victory against frivolous lawsuits and people who seek out celebrities to sue, which happen way too often."
See original story below.
Kevin Hart has been triumphant in the $7.2 million lawsuit his ex-business partners filed against him.
A judge has allowed Hart’s motion for summary judgment in the battle with the company Stand Up Digital, which sued Hart for botching their phone app after divulging that he was having an extramarital affair. Hart denied the company’s allegations and requested for the suit to be dismissed, The Blast reports.
The judge’s decision landed on Hart’s side, finding that he didn’t benefit from going public with the affair. The judge said that the incident actually damaged Hart’s reputation and that Hart didn’t have to inform his business partners about the affair announcement.
The court added that the evidence didn’t prove Hart violated his contract. The only issue left to deal with is Hart’s counterclaim against Stand Up Digital for accounting. Hart has now avoided going to a jury trial.
Stand Up Digital said they initially entered into a deal with Hart to create a game called “Gold Ambush.” The app was designed to be an interactive game where Hart and his family would be characters. The company spent over $1.25 million to develop the app, which was supposed to launch in September 2017.
However, before the launch, Hart revealed his affair on social media. He also said he was being blackmailed over the matter. Stand Up Digital said Hart’s personal life devastated the game’s rollout. They alleged that because Hart didn’t communicate with them before or after his confession, they are seeking $7.2 million.
Hart countersued the company, saying he “suffered through an extremely difficult period in his life, where he was subjected to attempted blackmail to prevent disclosure of an extramarital affair.” He added that he didn’t inform the company before his public announcement because he was working with the FBI and was told he couldn’t share any details of the case.
