Business
Jada Pinkett Smith Seeks $49K From Will Smith’s Ex-Friend After Emotional Distress Suit Partially Dismissed
LOS ANGELES — Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a California judge to order Will Smith’s former friend Bilaal Salaam to pay nearly $49,000 in attorney fees after successfully getting portions of his $3 million emotional distress lawsuit against her dismissed, according to court documents filed this week.
The 54-year-old actress and Red Table Talk co-host filed the motion for fees following a partial victory in the high-profile civil case that stems from a long-simmering fallout involving Smith’s inner circle. Salaam, who has described himself as a longtime friend and associate of the Oscar winner, originally sued Pinkett Smith in late 2025, alleging she caused him severe emotional distress through threats and interference related to a planned memoir.
Court records reviewed by multiple outlets show Salaam claimed Pinkett Smith warned him he would “catch a bullet” if he continued sharing personal family details. The suit sought $3 million in damages and accused her of orchestrating a campaign that damaged his reputation and mental health. Pinkett Smith has strongly denied the allegations, calling them baseless and arguing that Salaam failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his claims.
In recent months, a judge tossed key portions of Salaam’s complaint, prompting Pinkett Smith’s legal team to seek reimbursement for defense costs. The filing requests approximately $48,975 to cover attorney fees incurred while fighting the now-partially dismissed claims. Legal experts note that such fee-shifting motions are common when defendants prevail on anti-SLAPP or demurrer motions aimed at weeding out meritless litigation.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions in the Smith family’s extended circle. Salaam had positioned himself as a trusted confidant who worked on projects tied to Will Smith’s life story. The lawsuit emerged amid heightened public scrutiny of the Smiths following Jada’s candid 2023 memoir “Worthy” and various Red Table Talk revelations that reportedly strained relationships with some longtime associates.
Pinkett Smith’s attorneys argue the remaining claims should also be dismissed and that Salaam should bear the financial burden of what they describe as a frivolous action. The motion emphasizes the time and resources spent defending against accusations that lacked substantiation, particularly claims involving alleged threats and professional sabotage.
Representatives for Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have not issued public comments on the latest filing. Salaam’s legal team has also remained silent on the fee request as the case continues to wind through Los Angeles Superior Court. A hearing date for the motion has not yet been set.
The development adds another chapter to the high-profile legal and personal dramas surrounding one of Hollywood’s most watched couples. Will Smith has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent months following his own career reflections and family-focused projects, while Jada has continued selective media appearances and brand work.
Legal observers say fee recovery motions like this one serve dual purposes: recouping costs for the prevailing party and deterring similar lawsuits in the future. In California, prevailing defendants in certain defamation or emotional distress cases can seek fees under statutes designed to protect free speech and discourage strategic litigation.
The original lawsuit gained significant media attention when details emerged about alleged hotel confrontations and warnings tied to a memoir project. Salaam claimed the stress from the situation led to substantial personal and professional losses. Pinkett Smith countered that the claims were exaggerated and motivated by personal grievances rather than legitimate harm.
This is not the first time the Smith family has faced public legal battles involving former associates. Past disputes have involved everything from business partners to entertainment industry figures, often playing out in tabloids and social media. The current case, however, stands out for its deeply personal nature and direct connection to Will Smith’s longtime friendship circle.
Fans have reacted with a mix of support for Pinkett Smith and calls for privacy. Social media commentary ranges from accusations of Hollywood drama to sympathy for the financial and emotional toll of defending against lawsuits. Some observers note the irony of a family known for public transparency now navigating private disputes in court.
Beyond the immediate fee dispute, the case raises broader questions about celebrity privacy, memoir projects and the boundaries of friendship in the entertainment industry. As high-profile figures increasingly share intimate details through books, podcasts and social platforms, the potential for fallout with former insiders grows.
Court watchers expect the judge to rule on the fee motion within the coming weeks, potentially setting a precedent for how similar claims are handled. If granted, the $49,000 award would represent a relatively modest sum in celebrity litigation but carry symbolic weight as a victory for Pinkett Smith’s defense strategy.
The Smiths continue to focus on family and individual projects amid the legal proceedings. Jada has maintained a lower public profile recently, while Will has hinted at new creative endeavors. Regardless of the outcome, the dispute serves as a reminder of the complex intersections between personal relationships and public personas in modern Hollywood.
As the case progresses, all eyes remain on the California courtroom where one of entertainment’s most discussed families seeks resolution. Whether Salaam will be ordered to pay the legal bill could influence not only this specific matter but future interactions within the Smith orbit.
RIL on Friday reported a 12.6% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, as weakness in the oil-to-chemicals segment and higher costs weighed on the bottom line. The company’s consumer-facing businesses, however, continued to scale, with Jio Platforms posting strong earnings growth and Reliance Retail crossing 20,000 stores.
Consolidated net profit attributable to owners of the company came in at Rs 16,971 crore for Q4FY26, down from Rs 19,407 crore in the same quarter last year. Gross revenue rose 12.9% year-on-year to Rs 3,25,290 crore.
The company’s revenue also hit a record for the full year. Gross revenue for Q4FY26 rose 13% year-on-year to Rs 3,25,290 crore. For the full year, consolidated gross revenue rose 9.8% to a record Rs 11,75,919 crore. Full-year EBITDA also hit a record at Rs 2,07,911 crore, up 13.4% year-on-year.
Despite a 15% correction in 2026 so far, RIL shares are commanding a market capitalisation of over Rs 18 lakh crore.
While the earnings season is now at the end of its second week, its nearest rivals HDFC Bank and PSU lender State Bank of India (SBI) have significant ground to cover to reach that mark.
HDFC Bank, the next most valuable company by market capitalisation (Rs 12.08 lakh crore), reported a consolidated net profit of $8.07 (Rs 76,026 crore) billion in FY26 versus $7.51 billion (Rs 70,792 crore) in the previous FY, up 7.4% YoY.
While SBI is yet to announce its January-March quarter earnings, its 9MFY26 PAT stands at Rs 63,656 crore. Top brokerages like Nomura and Nuvama Institutional Equities have pegged the Q4 bottom line at Rs 18,700 crore to Rs 20,090 crore.
If the estimates hold true, the FY26 PAT for India’s largest lender could be Rs 83,746 crore, implying a net profit of $8.89 billion.
Domestic IT bellwether Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) FY26 PAT stood at Rs 49,454 crore ($5.25 billion).
(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)
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The bank, where Emirates NBD is set to acquire a majority stake up to 74% for approximately $3 billion, saw its annual net profit rise 18% year-on-year at Rs 822 crore.
RBL board proposed a dividend of Re 1 per share having Rs 10 face value, making it 10% dividend for FY26.
The bank’s net interest margin however fell to 4.41%, the lowest in the past five quarters. NIM was 4.63% in the preceding quarter while it was 4.89% in the year-ago period.
Net interest income grew 7% year-on-year at Rs 1671 crore while other income stood 7% higher at Rs 1069 crore. Its operating profit grew 11% year-on-year at Rs 955 crore.
“There has not been any material impact of the West Asia crisis on our business so far,” managing director R Subramaniakumar said.
“We delivered growth that meaningfully outpaced normalised industry trends, led by sharp momentum in granular retail advances and sustained strengthening of our granular deposit franchise,” he said.The bank’s net advances grew 23% year-on-year to Rs 1.14 lakh crore with retail segment contributing 59% of it while it saw contraction in credit card receivables and personal loan portfolio. Its total deposits grew 25% to Rs 1.39 lakh crore.
Its asset quality improved with gross non-performing assets ratio falling to 1.45% at the end of March from 1.88% three months prior, helped by Rs 911 crore of technically written-off loans during the quarter. Net NPA ratio was at 0.39% against 0.55% for the same period. The quarterly provisions were lower at Rs 678 crore as compared with Rs 785 crore in the year-ago period when the bank had made accelerated provisions to cover the credit risks arising from its microfinance portfolio.
The MD said that the share of the lender’s unsecured loans reduced to 24% from 285 a year back and the bank would like to maintain it between 20 and 25%.
During the quarter, It opened 23 branches, taking the total tally to 603.
“This expanded footprint strengthens our ability to deepen customer relationships, enhance sourcing capabilities, and support growth across our retail businesses as we enter the new financial year,” the MD said.
On the strategic investment by Emirates NBD which will transform RBL into a foreign bank subsidiary, approvals from the Reserve Bank of India and Competition Commission of India are already in place while RBL is awaiting the government’s approval, required for the foreign direct investment.
(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)
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Business
WSFS Financial Corporation 2026 Q1 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (NASDAQ:WSFS) 2026-04-25
Q1: 2026-04-23 Earnings Summary
EPS of $1.68 beats by $0.18
| Revenue of $275.30M (7.49% Y/Y) beats by $7.09M
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On a sequential basis, net profit rose 6 per cent.
Its core net interest increased to Rs 4,424.03 crore in the reporting quarter from Rs 4,240.07 crore a quarter ago and Rs 3.749.88 crore in the year-ago period.
“Through the course of the year, we remained steadfast in our approach, tightening credit and risk administration frameworks, strengthening collections infrastructure, accelerating our AI-led technology transformation and continuously focusing on growth across all our business lines,” Sudipta Roy, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at L&T Finance, said.
In the microfinance business, the focus was on navigating the cycle with prudence and the efforts have yielded results, Roy said, adding that business parameters across disbursements and collection efficiencies are now reverting to near pre-crisis levels.
The company is confident that FY27 will be a stable and productive year for this segment.
The total revenue from operations increased to Rs 4,771.03 crore in Q4 FY26 compared to Rs 4,578.27 crore in Q3 FY26 and Rs 4,022.92 crore in Q4 FY25, according to its financial results.In the reporting quarter, retail disbursements grew 62 per cent to Rs 24,107 crore in Q4 FY26 from Rs 14,899 crore in Q4 FY25.
The growth in secured disbursements led by two-wheeler finance at Rs 2,930 crore, a rise of 58 per cent year-on-year.
Personal loan disbursements rose 98 per cent to Rs 3,786 crore, rural business finance disbursements increased 41 per cent to Rs 7,208 crore, investor presentation showed.
Its retail book rose 26 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1,19,508 crore, and consolidated stood at was Rs 1,21,728 crore.
The wholesale book of the company declined 14 per cent to Rs 2,220 crore as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 2,582 crore a year back.
The company has seen an improvement of 0.06 per cent in net interest margins (NIM) plus fees. It stood at 10.47 per cent in Q4 FY26 compared to 10.41 per cent in Q3 FY26.
Credit costs improved in the reporting quarter at 2.64 per cent from 2.83 per cent in the preceding December quarter.
The L&T Finance scrip closed 0.56 per cent down at Rs 290.45 a piece on the BSE against a 1.29 per cent correction on the benchmark.
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