Fat Joe has responded to the $20 million lawsuit filed by his former hype man, Terrance “T.A.” Dixon. For the unversed, the rapper sued Dixon in April 2025, accusing the former hype man of slandering him on social media, saying he allegedly had s*xual relations with a minor.
Dixon then sued the rapper on June 19, 2025, seeking $20 million in damages, stating that Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, reportedly did “coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, s*xual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion.”
Dixon filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, accusing the rapper of allegedly forcing him to perform s*xual acts under surveillance.
According to Variety’s June 19, 2025, report, the former hype man, who worked for Cartagena for 16 years, also claimed the rapper and his associates tried to erase his artistic contributions.
Fat Joe released his statement on June 26, 2025, denying the allegations. The rapper stated the allegations are “disgusting lies,” calling Dixon a “coward.”
Cartagena also addressed Dixon’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, who had previously represented Sean “Diddy” Combs’ accuser, producer Lil Rodney, stating that lawyers can no longer “extort” and “destroy” people.
“Since you want the clout, we will finish you in court. The time of lawyers using their law license as a badge to extort people and destroy families with no evidence is over!! I’m not the one!! You’ve messed with the wrong one this time!” Fat Joe wrote in his statement.
Fat Joe’s accuser’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, was arrested for hitting a process server with his car
Terrance “T.A.” Dixon’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, was arrested on June 23, 2025, for hitting a 66-year-old process server with his car. According to TMZ’s June 25, 2025, report, the man was delivering legal documents on May 12, 2025, when Blackburn tried to flee the scene and put his car in reverse and hit the man, injuring his leg.
The New York Police Department arrested the attorney and booked him for assault. Joe Tacopina, Cartagena’s attorney, told Vibe that the rapper’s legal team isn’t surprised that Blackburn is arrested.
Calling Tyrone Blackburn an “embarrassment to the legal community,” Tacopina stated that his actions showcase his “malicious, manipulative conduct.”
“Normally, a lawyer getting arrested would be sort of shocking. Here, it’s not shocking at all, because it’s just the latest example of his conduct. His malicious, manipulative conduct — or misconduct — that’s what I’ll call it… he’s an embarrassment to the legal community, he really is,” Joe Tacopina stated.
Speaking of his client, Joe Tacopina told the media outlet that the rapper won’t lose, as Dixon is reportedly making claims “to get money.”
“This is just some guy making a claim to get money. But yet that being said, it’s still very difficult for him, because he’s got all these deals with different companies, and he’s the face of different things,” Tacopina stated.
Terrance “T.A.” Dixon nor his legal team has responded to Fat Joe’s public statement at the time of writing.
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Edited by Prem Deshpande
