Kenya Barris’ Sister Adds New Claims in Lawsuit Against Brother
A judge has given the sister of “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris permission to file an amended complaint with new allegations in her lawsuit in which she alleges her sibling breached an anti-disparagement agreement in 2022 by calling her a “no-talent hack.”
A settlement of Colette Barris’ Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit had been announced Dec. 5 during a scheduled trial-setting conference before Judge Peter A. Hernandez. But the attorneys told the judge during a June status conference that the case was not resolved after all and that Colette Barris plans to file an amended suit.
On Thursday, Hernandez granted Colette Barris’ motion to bring a revised complaint with additional causes of action for defamation, tortious interference, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, public disclosure of private facts and negligence arising from her brother’s alleged post-settlement breaches of a Feb. 22, 2021, settlement agreement.
The judge said the plaintiff properly identified the changes to be made and explained why the amended complaint is necessary. Hernandez also noted that Kenya Barris did not oppose the filing of an updated suit..
Kenya Barris, 52, is a film and television writer, producer, director and actor. Colette Barris has been a teacher for more than three decades at Los Angeles Unified high and middle schools.
In December 2020, Kenya Barris sought a domestic violence restraining order against the plaintiff, alleging she had abused his children, Colette Barris’ court papers state.
Two months later, the siblings reached an agreement for Kenya Barris to drop his restraining order request and he promised not to disparage her in the future, but he broke that commitment in June 2022 by making unflattering comments about his sister to a third party by stating his sibling is a “no-talent hack,” according to her suit filed in December 2022.
Kenya Barris is represented by a law firm that includes attorney Bryan J. Freedman, whose clients also include Don Lemon, Tucker Carlson and the Mendendez brothers.
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