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An attorney representing the former hype man of rapper Fat Joe has been arrested and accused of hitting a man with his car who was delivering legal documents in the latest installment of a messy legal saga.
Attorney Tyrone Blackburn, who is representing Terrance “T.A.” Dixon in the case against the rapper, was served with a legal complaint from Fat Joe’s team on May 12 in New York. He’s accused of putting his car in reverse and hitting the 66-year-old process server in the leg, according to TMZ.
The New York Police Department confirmed Blackburn was taken into custody Wednesday morning and booked for assault after the process server went to the police.
Blackburn is representing Dixon in seeking $20 million in damages from Fat Joe, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena, accusing the rapper of engaging in “coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion.”
Fat Joe denies the allegations and hit back against the lawsuit with his own, alleging extortion, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. These were reportedly the documents being served to Blackburn when the alleged assault took place.
The Independent has contacted Blackburn for comment.
Fat Joe’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, told Vibe that Blackburn’s arrest “is not a surprise at all.”
“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,” Tacopina said. “His malicious, manipulative conduct — or misconduct — that’s what I’ll call it … he’s an embarrassment to the legal community, he really is.”
Blackburn’s arrest is the latest incident that stems from the complex legal fight between Dixon and Fat Joe.
Dixon served as Fat Joe’s hype man for 16 years, energizing the crowd before and during performances.
In his $20 million lawsuit against Fat Joe, Dixon alleged the rapper forced him “into humiliating situations, including sex acts performed under duress and surveillance, accompanied by threats of abandonment in foreign countries if [he] refused compliance.” Dixon further alleged “he was coerced into more than 4,000 sexual acts to maintain his standing within the Enterprise.”
The lawsuit also alleged that Dixon “personally witnessed [Fat Joe] engage in sexual relations with children who were 15 and 16 years old,” which the rapper denies.
“Fat Joe is Sean Combs minus the Tusi,” Blackburn previously told The Independent. “He learned nothing from his 2013 federal conviction,” Blackburn continued, referring to Fat Joe’s four months behind bars for failing to file income tax returns.
Fat Joe’s lawyer told The Independent the claims from Dixon and Blackburn are “a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats, and manufactured allegations.”
Tacopina also said that Blackburn is the subject of a pending referral to the Southern District’s disciplinary committee. “Law enforcement is aware of the extortionate demand at the heart of this scheme,” he said.
With additional reporting from The Independent’s Caitlin Hornik.
