The embattled lawyer was arrested Wednesday morning (June 25) or hitting a process server while allegedly dodging a lawsuit tied to extortion claims.
The lawyer suing Fat Joe, Tyrone Blackburn, was arrested Wednesday (June 25) and charged with second-degree assault for allegedly hitting a process server with his car while trying to avoid being served with a lawsuit tied to the rapper.
The incident stems from an April 2025 lawsuit filed by Fat Joe—real name Joseph Cartagena—against Blackburn and Terrance Dixon, his former hype man. The suit accuses the pair of extortion, defamation and emotional distress after they demanded money for alleged songwriting and vocal contributions and later threatened to smear Cartagena with disturbing claims.
According to Cartagena’s legal team, Blackburn attempted to flee service of the lawsuit by striking the process server with his vehicle. Despite the failed escape, the paperwork was successfully delivered. The arrest, Cartagena’s attorney Joe Tacopina said, only confirms what they’ve long argued.
“Tyrone Blackburn’s arrest comes as no surprise to me – it’s just the latest example of his malicious and manipulative pattern of misconduct finally coming to light,” Tacopina said. “Blackburn is an embarrassment to the legal profession and it’s a disgrace watching him use the court system to shield his extortion tactics. This is exactly why Mr. Cartagena proactively sued Blackburn and his client Terrance Dixon in April because he knew they intended to try to destroy his reputation by peddling salacious lies.”
The original demand letter, sent March 23, claimed Dixon was a “ghostwriter and uncredited vocalist” on Fat Joe’s songs. After being ignored, a second letter on April 21 threatened a lawsuit with inflammatory accusations including statutory rape, forced labor and sex trafficking.
Following the issuance of a warrant, Blackburn and Dixon filed a retaliatory suit against Cartagena.
Blackburn’s legal tactics have drawn scrutiny from the bench. In April 2024, Judge Denise Cote referred him to a grievance committee, writing that he “improperly files cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly.”
In March, Judge J. Paul Oetken issued a separate order criticizing Blackburn’s filings as “replete with inaccurate statements of law” and “full of similar irrelevant insults, misstatements and exaggerations.”
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