Will Smith his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith; and actor, Duane Martin, go waaaaay back, like Cracker Jacks. Duane and Will have been best friends for decades and Jada loves Duane like a play-brother. Just like any tightly knit friendship, when one’s friend is down, the other steps up. This was the case for the Smiths, when Duane and wife, Tisha Campbell, fell into major money problems.
Now, Jada and Will’s generosity has caused them to involuntarily get sucked into the bankruptcy fraud scandal that Tisha and Duane have been battling for months. This situation also just got even uglier for Duane.
Duane Martin Accused Of Using Jada and Will’s Help To Hide Money/House Scam?
As most y’all already know, Tisha and Duane are not only caught up in their bankruptcy fraud case, but they’re also in the middle of a bitter divorce war.
The latest hurdle is that according to The Blast, court records show that the trustee overseeing their bankruptcy case, is accusing Duane (who previously told courts the money issues are his fault and not Tisha’s) of trying to hide $2.6 million under their company, Roxe, LLC. Apparently, the trustee believes that Duane and Tisha pulled a dirty money move in order to avoid those millions and their home from being included in the case. Now they face losing their ‘Martin family home.’
So what does all of this have to do with Will and Jada, you ask? Here’s a quick breakdown of why they’re now involved:
Via TB- The trustee alleges Duane set up Roxe LLC to allegedly conceal ownership of a 9,000 sq ft mansion in Chatsworth, California. Duane originally bought the home in 2006 for $900,000. He then borrowed $1.9 million for the purpose of constructing the “Martin family home.”
Duane then defaulted on his loan to negotiate a short sale with the bank, and he used Roxe to buy the home back from the bank using a $1.4 million loan from Will and Jada. Roxe LLC became the owner and Duane and Tisha allegedly entered into a lease with their own company to pay rent of $5,000 per month.
Earlier this year, Duane listed the home for $2,695,000 with the intention of pocketing all of the sales proceeds in excess of the loan given by Will and Jada, meaning he would pocket $1.3 million if sold at asking price.
As a result of the aforementioned allegations, the trustee feels that Duane’s and Tisha’s reported lease was just a fake cover-up and that the Martins didn’t even make all of the payments, due to the loan from the Smiths. Now, the bankruptcy fraud lawsuit is asking the court to force Tisha and Duane to relinquish their home, in order to help pay off creditors in their bankruptcy filing.
The Latest In Their Divorce War
As we previously reported in February 2018, Tisha filed for divorce from Duane after 22 years of marriage. Their divorce announcement caught fans by surprise and shortly afterwards, the estranged couple was hit with the bankruptcy fraud allegations. Ever since their battles have gone public, it’s been a war of bitter finger-pointing and accusations both have hurled in the other’s direction.
The odd thing is that they both are seeking spousal support from each other. Like the trustee, Tisha’s accusing Duane of hiding money from her to avoid paying her spousal support. On the flip side, Duane claims she makes more money than him, therefore she should be paying him instead. So at this point, it’s unclear who’s gonna come out on top in that scenario. The Martins have two sons together and Tisha wants joint custody, which is probably one of the few divorce requests they agree on. Wishing them all the best.
