Fat Joe's legal team has torn into the $20 million lawsuit filed against him by his former hype man, Terrance "T.A." Dixon.
"The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation," said Fat Joe's attorney, Joe Tacopina, in a statement shared with The Independent. "The allegations against Mr. Joseph Antonio Cartagena [Fat Joe's real name] are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure. Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable."
Tacopina said that the allegations against his client are "complete fabrications."
In the complaint, Dixon accused the Bronx-born rapper of "coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion." Dixon and his attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, also alleged that Fat Joe had sexual relationships with underage girls as young as 15. Other accusations in the complaint include money laundering, tax evasion, and forcing him "into humiliating situations," including recorded sex acts.
Fat Joe filed a defamation lawsuit against Dixon and his attorney earlier this year in a complaint that predates the $20 million case. In that complaint, he accused Dixon and Blackburn of conspiring to extort him for money, beginning in March, when they sought financial compensation for Dixon's alleged involvement in some of Joe's discography. He also accused Blackburn of falsely accusing him of pedophilia in statements shared with Tacopina.
"These allegations are completely false and part of a criminal conspiracy orchestrated between a disgruntled former hype man and his attorney," Fat Joe said in a statement at the time. "These two individuals have been scheming together to extort me with their elaborate and ludicrous demands changing by the day. The relentless threats, harassment, and defamation I've endured as they peddle salacious lies are utterly deplorable. I'm taking legal action to expose their misconduct and I'm fully confident that the facts will reveal this is nothing more than a deceptive and desperate scam."
The complaint filed by Joe also pointed out that Judge Denise Cote has already criticized Blackburn's career as a lawyer, accusing him of improperly filing cases in federal court "to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly."
Another judge, J. Paul Oetken, warned Blackburn earlier this year that his legal filings are "replete with inaccurate statements of law" and "full of similar irrelevant insults, misstatements, and exaggerations."
