Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears are accused of 'grooming' siblings, a new lawsuit claims. Here's what that means.
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- Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears are accused of sexually abusing two minors, or "grooming" them.
- A Tuesday lawsuit filed by one of the minors, who is now 22, details the alleged on-camera abuse.
- Sexual abuse experts say perpetrators use their power to slowly take advantage of grooming victims.
Comedians Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears have been accused of sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
The lawsuit, which the now-22-year-old Jane Doe filed on behalf of herself and her brother, alleges that Haddish and Spears encouraged the siblings to act in sexually suggestive ways on camera. The Daily Beast first reported on the lawsuit, and Insider has seen the documents.
In response, Haddish's lawyer told Insider the plaintiff's mother has been "trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years." Spears' lawyer told People his client "isn't going to fall for any shakedown."
The female plaintiff in the lawsuit alleges that Haddish, who was close with their mother, told her she found "a perfect role" for her in 2013. According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe met Haddish at a Hollywood studio where Haddish instructed the 14-year-old to eat a sandwich "in a manner that simulated the act of fellatio" while on camera.
The lawsuit goes on to allege Spears sexually abused the female plaintiff's younger brother during an acting gig Haddish secured for him. Spears was "lusting over the 7-year-old child and molesting him through the video," which was called "Through A Pedophiles Eyes," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit included still shots of the alleged video, which Insider obtained.
'Grooming' perpetrators use their leverage to slowly win the trust of their victims and erode their boundaries
These allegations of sexually abusing minors after gaining their trust, or "grooming" them, have come against Haddish and Spears two years after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was charged with rape and several counts of sexual abuse of budding actors.
With grooming, sexual abuse doesn't happen right away, according to sexual abuse attorney Paul Mones.
It's a slow process where a perpetrator will use their status, money, or other forms of power to win a victim over. Then, they make increasingly inappropriate requests as a way to "test" their victim, Mones wrote in a 2020 op-ed article for the Los Angeles Times.
In doing this, they erode a victim's boundaries so they act in ways they otherwise may not, said Mones.
As a result, a grooming victim may continue a relationship with their abuser, denying the reality of the situation as self-protection, Mones wrote in the Los Angeles Times.
"In the vast majority of these situations, victims do not react by physically or verbally resisting the offender, reporting the offender, or even fleeing at first touch. Rather, victims become psychologically and emotionally paralyzed, overwhelmed by a combination of fear, self-blame, embarrassment, and confusion," Mones wrote in his op-ed.
Representatives for Spears have not responded to Insider's request for comment.