Attorney Tyrone Blackburn, whose client is suing Fat Joe for millions, has been indicted for assault.
TMZ reports that Blackburn has been officially indicted after he was accused of hitting a 66-year-old process server with his car in New York City in May. At the time of the incident, the process server tried to locate Blackburn to serve him papers associated with Fat Joe’s case.
When Blackburn spotted the process server, the lawyer reversed into the man and hit him in the leg. The process server later claimed that he needed significant surgery on his knee due to the incident. Blackburn was arrested a month later, in June.
Blackburn’s client, Terrance “T.A.” Dixon, filed a $20 million lawsuit against the Bronx rapper in June, accusing him of “coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion.” Additionally, Joe was accused of committing sex acts with minors and money laundering.
The complaint stated that Dixon had worked for Fat Joe for 16 years, and was more than just a hype man, but also served as a writer and background vocalist on tracks like “Congratulations,” “Ice Cream,” and “Money Over Bitches.” Dixon claims he never received proper compensation for his creative contributions.
Fat Joe’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, later said the complaint was full of “lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure.”