Tyrone Blackburn says his health has deteriorated as he accuses Fat Joe and attorney Joe Tacopina of orchestrating a public smear campaign and coordinating his arrest in an attempt to derail a $20 million lawsuit filed on behalf of a former Hip-Hop associate.
Blackburn, who represents Terrance “T.A.” Dixon in a federal case against the Bronx rapper, claims the pressure from Fat Joe’s legal team has pushed him into “severe medical distress” and compromised his ability to represent his client.
“These actions not only prejudiced me in the eyes of the public and my professional peers but also inflicted substantial personal and reputational harm that I continue to endure and are currently undergoing medical treatment for,” Blackburn said in a court filing.
The legal battle began earlier this year when Dixon sued Fat Joe, alleging decades of unpaid labor, sexual coercion, and psychological manipulation.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2025, accuses the rapper of forcing Dixon into thousands of sexually explicit acts under threat of violence or abandonment, while also denying him proper credit and compensation for his work as a lyricist and collaborator.
Fat Joe has denied all claims, calling them “disgusting lies,” and insists the lawsuit is an attempt to extort money through fabricated allegations.
His legal team, led by Tacopina, responded by filing a countersuit in April 2025 accusing Dixon and Blackburn of defamation, extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Tacopina has been vocal in his criticism of Blackburn, calling the attorney’s filings “bogus” and accusing him of using AI-generated citations in court documents.
In defense filings, Tacopina described Dixon’s lawsuit as a “blatant act of retaliation” after Dixon was fired for misconduct.
But Blackburn says the legal attacks have gone beyond the courtroom.
On May 12, 2025, a 66-year-old process server attempted to deliver court papers related to Fat Joe’s lawsuit.
According to police, Blackburn reversed his vehicle and struck the man in the leg, causing minor injuries.
He was later arrested on June 25 and booked on multiple charges including felony assault, harassment, reckless driving and criminal possession of a weapon.
Blackburn insists the arrest was a setup.
“Defense counsel coordinated with local law enforcement to secure my arrest, asserting that I had ‘mowed down’ a process server with my vehicle,” Blackburn said. “This occurred despite my prior offer to waive service of process. This arrest, obtained through misrepresentation, has resulted in significant collateral consequences, including the suspension of my New York State Bar identification card and a hold on my pending open-carry license application.”
The arrest has added another layer of complexity to an already contentious legal war.
Blackburn’s team argues that the smear campaign is a deliberate effort to discredit him and distract from Dixon’s claims, which include allegations of sex trafficking, tax fraud, and misconduct involving minors as young as 15.
Dixon also accuses Roc Nation of helping to conceal and manipulate his authorship rights and royalties, claiming the label participated in efforts to intimidate him and obstruct his legal efforts.
Fat Joe’s camp has denied all wrongdoing and maintains that Dixon’s allegations are false and designed to pressure a settlement. Tacopina has threatened legal action against Blackburn for what he calls “desperate” tactics.
The case is currently being litigated in the Southern District of New York, with hearings scheduled through the summer and fall of 2025.