Fat Joe's attorney, Joe Tacopina, has denied claims from Tyrone Blackburn—who is representing the rapper's former hype man, Terrance Dixon—that he tried to avoid being served legal papers because he previously waived his right to be served in public.
As reported by XXL magazine, Blackburn was interviewed outside of jail alongside his attorney after he was reportedly arrested for striking a process server with his car. In the interview, Blackburn and his attorney were asked why the former was trying to "avoid" being served in relation to Fat Joe's case.
"From my understanding, my client offered to waive," Blackburn's attorney said. "This is somewhat of a setup."
Tacopina outright shut down the accusation that Blackburn waived his right to be served, however.
"Tyrone Blackburn really can’t keep up with his own lies," said Tacopina, whose celebrity clients have included ASAP Rocky. "We have written correspondence that shows he never waived service of process. To the contrary, he refused to accept service, so it’s truly ironic that Blackburn and his lawyer don’t even have their own stories straight. Blackburn is discrediting himself on camera and soon his web of deceit will be fully exposed for the world to see."
Tacopina previously attacked the character of Blackburn, noting the arrest came as "no surprise" to him.
"Blackburn is an embarrassment to the legal profession and it’s a disgrace watching him use the court system to shield his extortion tactics," Tacopina said earlier this week.
Blackburn's client, Dixon, filed a $20 million lawsuit against Fat Joe accusing him of abusive behavior and sexual assault. Fat Joe has denied the claims and is suing Dixon and Blackburn for extortion and defamation.
Fat Joe also released an extensive statement indicating that he is not willing to back down from this legal battle.
"If you get fired for doing something wrong, just take the L and live with it," Fat Joe said. "But instead, they plot on your downfall as they watch you move on with your life. They decide to go after one of the things you value the most—your reputation. They figure they can make up the most insane stories and, if they threaten you with a lawsuit, then you'll pay and they'll feel like they finally won."
