Fat Joe has filed a defamation lawsuit against his former hypeman, Terrance “T.A.” Dixon, over a series of damaging accusations, including claims that the Bronx rapper is a pedophile.
According to legal documents, Dixon, who worked with Joe from 2006 to 2019, launched a wave of public attacks after claiming he was owed money. The lawsuit alleges that Dixon began “a torrent of wholly fabricated, grotesque, and scandalous allegations — accusing [Joe] of unspeakable acts such as pedophilia, statutory rape, and sexual assault” across numerous social media posts.
Fat Joe — whose real name is Joseph Cartagena — asserts that Dixon’s actions stem from resentment over a stalled music career. Dixon reportedly believes Joe sabotaged his chances at landing a solo record deal and failed to credit him for ghostwriting and vocal contributions.
The suit also names Dixon’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, a controversial figure previously criticized by federal judges for alleged courtroom misconduct. Joe claims that earlier this year, Dixon and Blackburn approached him seeking financial compensation and threatened to file complaints accusing him of sex trafficking, rape, fraud, and labor violations if he didn’t pay.
Cartagena says Blackburn followed up with threatening emails, including one that warned he would be reported to Homeland Security. On Instagram, Dixon also made multiple insinuations that Joe had inappropriate relationships with underage girls.
In response to the legal filing, Blackburn issued a statement calling the suit “a baseless lawsuit in an effort to soften the blow of what’s to come. It won’t work. Fat Joe has a lot of explaining to do.”
Fat Joe released his own statement condemning the allegations: “These allegations are completely false and part of a criminal conspiracy orchestrated between a disgruntled former hypeman and his attorney. These two individuals have been scheming together to extort me with their elaborate and ludicrous demands changing by the day. The relentless threats, harassment, and defamation I’ve endured as they peddle salacious lies are utterly deplorable. I’m taking legal action to expose their misconduct and I’m fully confident the facts will reveal this is nothing more than a deceptive and desperate scam.”
The rapper is represented by prominent attorney Joe Tacopina, who added, “The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are completely false and part of a criminal extortion scheme orchestrated by an attorney who a federal judge recently condemned for abusing the court system to harass and pressure defendants.”