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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Entertainment
Christi Carras

Accuser to DA: Arrest Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears immediately amid allegations

LOS ANGELES — The woman who recently sued Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears for alleged child sexual abuse submitted a letter Monday to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office calling for the comedians' immediate arrest and prosecution.

The unidentified plaintiff's request comes about a week after she filed a lawsuit accusing the comics of grooming and molesting her (Jane Doe) and her brother (John Doe) when they were 14 and 7, respectively.

In her letter to L.A. District Attorney George Gascon, Jane Doe explains that her mother filed a police report regarding Haddish and Spears' alleged crimes in Las Vegas in January 2020. She claims Las Vegas authorities passed the case along to the LAPD, which "has done nothing with this complaint."

The letter alleges that the LAPD officer assigned to the case, referred to as Detective Eastborn, told Jane Doe's mother that "there are children being molested present day" and that their complaint was "not a priority."

"This matter's breadth and complexity require your jurisdictional powers and resources to tackle and end the ... depravity committed by Haddish and Spears," reads the letter, which was provided to the L.A. Times.

"My brother and I are prepared to speak with investigators and prosecutors from your office and provide you with irrefutable evidence that substantiates our allegations."

Representatives for Haddish and Spears did not immediately respond Tuesday to the L.A. Times' request for comment.

On Monday, Haddish released a statement that said she "deeply" regretted her participation in a sketch that "was intended to be comedic" but ultimately "wasn't funny at all."

Jane Doe's lawsuit outlines two comedy sketches, one for which Haddish allegedly encouraged a 14-year-old Jane Doe to mimic the motions of fellatio, and another that featured Spears "lusting over" John Doe while the 7-year-old was in his underwear and Haddish was offscreen.

"I know people have a bunch of questions," Haddish wrote on Instagram.

"I get it. I'm right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there's very little that I can say right now. ... I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

In a statement provided Tuesday to the L.A. Times, Jane Doe called Haddish's Instagram post a "meager attempt at shifting responsibility solely onto" Spears. Jane Doe also urged the public to sign a Change.org petition supporting "the immediate arrest and prosecution of" Haddish and Spears.

"Tiffany did not acknowledge the fact that she intentionally lied to our mother by telling her that my brother would be filming a Nickelodeon sizzle reel, when in fact her real intention was to isolate him and molest him with Aries Spears," Jane Doe continued. "We are not going to stop until we receive justice."

In their lawsuit, Jane Doe and John Doe accuse Haddish and Spears of negligence, sexual battery, sexual harassment and sexual abuse of a minor. The siblings are seeking an unspecified monetary reward for "past, present, and future general damages."

Last week, attorneys for Haddish and Spears dismissed Jane Doe's complaint as an attempted "shakedown."

"Plaintiff's mother ... has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years," Haddish attorney Andrew Brettler said in a statement to The Times. "Every attorney who has initially taken on her case — and there were several — ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down.

In a separate statement to the L.A. Times, Spears attorney Debra Opri said her client "isn't going to fall for any shakedown."

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