Busta Rhymes is being accused of weaponizing the legal system to suppress his former assistant’s speech after a $6 million lawsuit alleged physical assault and workplace misconduct.
In a new court filing submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Dashiel Gables pushed back against the Hip-Hop icon’s defamation countersuit, calling it a “retaliatory Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation,” or SLAPP.
Gables claims the countersuit was filed to punish him for speaking out and exercising his “constitutional right to petition for redress of grievances.”
Gables, who worked for Rhymes between July 2024 and January 2025, maintains that all his public statements and legal claims are accurate and protected by law.
“Truth is an absolute defense to defamation under state and federal law,” his legal team wrote in the filing.
The dispute stems from an incident on January 10, 2025, when Gables alleges Rhymes punched him in the face during an argument in the lobby of the rapper’s Brooklyn residence.
Gables claims he was later fired for reporting the incident to the police and has since suffered emotional distress, unpaid wages, and professional blacklisting.
Busta Rhymes turned himself in after criminal charges were filed and was charged with third-degree assault. He has denied all allegations and responded with a defamation countersuit in October 2025.
His attorneys argue that Gables made false and damaging claims to the media and at a press conference, including accusations that Rhymes spat on staff, made threats, and forced another assistant to unclog a toilet with his bare hands.
Busta Rhymes’ legal team is seeking damages and a retraction.
Gables argues that the countersuit is not only meritless but also an attempt to silence him through intimidation.
“The statements in Plaintiff’s Complaint are protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” his attorneys stated.
He also contends that his claims involve “matters of public interest,” such as workplace safety and alleged violence by a public figure, which he believes should receive “heightened constitutional protection.”
The former assistant is asking the court to dismiss Rhymes’ counterclaim entirely, award him attorney fees, and impose sanctions on the rapper for what he calls a “frivolous and retaliatory counterclaim.”
The court has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss the countersuit.
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