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Kevin Hart Settles Lawsuit Accusing Star of Ripping Off Comedy Company

Home / The Law / Kevin Hart Settles Lawsuit Accusing Star of Ripping Off Comedy Company

By TheBlast Staff on October 18, 2018 at 7:11 AM EDT

Kevin Hart can breathe a little easier after a lawsuit accusing the comedian of ripping off another man’s work has been settled.

On October 16, Scott Montoya, owner of Laugh Out Loud Comedy Productions, filed court docs dismissing all claims against Hart and his companies. The docs note that Montoya and Hart reached an agreement to drop the entire legal battle and each will pay their own legal bills.

According to our sources, Lionsgate — who was also a co-defendant in the case — forked over a little cash to Montoya as part of a settlement deal, which was paid out through insurance.

As The Blast first reported, Montoya, who distributed stand-up comedy content on various platforms, sued Hart accusing him of ripping off his work.

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Back in 2016, Hart applied for three separate trademarks for “Laugh Out Loud” related to a new comedy venture he started with Lionsgate. Montoya had opposed those trademarks.

Montoya claimed he sent a cease and desist to Hart and even attempted settlement negotiations, but was not successful. He said Hart was leaching off the brand that has already “been seen by tens of millions of people over the past 8 years.”

Montoya claimed Hart had been going around scooping up other domains and intellectual properties related to “LOL,” hindering his ability to do business.

He sued demanding an injunction against Hart for using any “LOL” trademarks, along with all profits that the comedian has made off the mark.

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Kevin Hart is still facing a separate $1.8 million lawsuit filed by his ex-business partner accusing him of screwing him out of commissions on big deals.

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