Entertainment

Will Smith’s Sexual Harassment Case Is Down to One Claim

By Erica Coleman · May 12, 2026

A California judge partially dismissed the sexual harassment lawsuit against Will Smith on Monday — striking the claim filed under California’s AB 2777 while allowing the plaintiff 30 days to amend and refile the remaining allegations.

The ruling, first reported by People, is being characterized as a partial win for Smith. Judge Lisa Cole determined that the conduct alleged in the AB 2777 portion of the complaint did not fall within the scope of that specific law, which was enacted in 2022 specifically to extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual assault and abuse who might otherwise be time-barred from filing civil claims.

That law — and the question of what conduct it covers — is the more significant story beneath the courtroom ruling.

AB 2777, formally known as the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, was the result of sustained advocacy by survivors who argued that California’s existing statutes of limitations had allowed powerful perpetrators to escape accountability because victims, often traumatized and lacking resources, could not bring claims within the standard filing window. The legislature created a specific three-year window — running from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025 — during which abuse victims could file civil claims regardless of when the alleged conduct occurred.

The law has produced hundreds of cases against entertainment industry figures, clergy, coaches, and institutional defendants that would previously have been time-barred. Several major settlements have been reached under its provisions. Its application has been contested in a number of cases where defendants have argued that the alleged conduct falls outside its intended scope — and that is the argument Smith’s legal team made successfully in Monday’s ruling.

The plaintiff — whose name has not been publicly released and who filed the complaint anonymously — alleged conduct dating to a period when she was a minor. Her attorney told People the dismissal was not unexpected and that they intend to amend the complaint within the 30-day window to address the court’s ruling.

Smith’s representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The remaining surviving claim — filed under a separate legal theory not dependent on AB 2777 — was not dismissed and proceeds toward discovery. The case is in early stages and no trial date has been set.