Fat Joe has said his ongoing legal battle with ex-employee Terrance “T.A.” Dixon has taken a heavy toll on his bank account.
According to court documents obtained by Complex, the Terror Squad head honcho filed an amended complaint in which he accused Dixon and attorney Tyrone Blackburn of launching a smear campaign.
Joe sued Dixon back in April, claiming his former hypeman had posted “a torrent of wholly fabricated, grotesque, and scandalous allegations” in pursuit of a hefty payday.
According to legal documents, Fat Joe has claimed that Dixon’s failed extortion efforts resulted in a $10 million loss in various business deals, including everything from endorsements and podcast advertising to primetime TV appearances and retail contracts for his Rewind It grooming brand. He is seeking $15 million in damages, plus interest.
According to Fat Joe’s original lawsuit, Dixon had worked with him between 2006 and 2019, and received appropriate payouts; however, the Bronx rapper claimed that Dixon wasn’t satisfied with his earnings and ultimately hired Blackburn in an effort to receive compensation for his alleged contributions to records like “Congratulations,” “Ice Cream,” and “Money Over Bitches.”
In March, Dixon and Blackburn reportedly sent Fat Joe a letter demanding money for his alleged ghostwriting and vocal services. About a month later, Dixon’s legal team allegedly threatened to hit Joe with a lawsuit that included allegations of sexual trafficking, pedophilia, forced labor and more.
The accusations were eventually laid out in Dixon’s $20 million lawsuit against his former boss. Joe vehemently denied the allegations and dismissed Dixon’s complaint as a continuation of his failed extortion efforts.
“The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation,” Fat Joe’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said in a statement to The Independent. “The allegations against Mr. Joseph Antonio Cartagena 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.”
According to the new docs, Fat Joe and his legal team are also challenging Blackburn’s professional integrity. They stated that Blackburn was referred to the grievance committee in 2024, after a judge accused the lawyer of “improperly [filing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly.”
Fat Joe’s amended lawsuit came about a month after Blackburn was arrested and booked on suspicion of assault. The attorney was taken into custody after allegedly hitting a process server with his car, per NBC News.
