Fat Joe is asking a judge to penalize his former hype man Terrance Dixon and attorney Tyrone Blackburn, accusing them of repeated delays and misconduct during the discovery stage of their legal battle.
According to court documents obtained by Complex, the 55-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Joseph Cartagena, claims Blackburn avoided answering questions during his deposition by citing memory issues linked to medication—despite having defended Dixon in a deposition just days earlier. Fat Joe’s legal team also alleges Blackburn “obstructed his deposition using false claims of cognitive impairment.”
Blackburn is further accused of misleading the court about his travel plans, reportedly stating he was “not flying anywhere” shortly before departing for a cruise.
Court filings reveal the judge had already warned Blackburn over missed deadlines, including those ordered by the court, and indicated that sanctions could escalate if compliance issues continue.
During a March 6 deposition, Blackburn initially dodged confirming whether he represented Dixon.
“So many cases, I don’t know. I can’t just, it’s a lot of cases… I don’t have my records in front of me,” he said, before later admitting, “Yes, of course.”
He then attributed his memory lapses to medication taken that morning, though documents state he “could not identify the medications he claimed to have taken.”
Per the filings, Blackburn said he “ingested eight medications, including narcotics, the morning of his deposition that could [p]ossibly prevent him from testifying truthfully.”
“[T]he medication and the local anesthesia does funny things that I don’t know ….. It’s messing my head up, you know,” he explained. “[M]y brain is a little foggy because of the medication.”
He also added, “I have taken narcotics today and that I do think that it’s kind of int– interfering a little bit with — with — with my ability to remember.”
In an earlier deposition on February 24, Blackburn allegedly directed personal insults at opposing counsel Chad Seigel, targeting his appearance, family, and personal life.
He reportedly asked, “What date is your transition surgery?” and made repeated homophobic remarks about Seigel’s supposed “husband,” before insulting his mother, saying she “should have spit you out instead of swallowing.”
Dixon also allegedly joined in, mocking Seigel’s looks and saying, “You need some damn Botox like your co-counsel, Joe Taco Face,” before issuing a warning: “You’d never do this if it was outside. So watch your mouth and watch how you speak to me.”
The situation reportedly escalated further, with Dixon claiming, “I could take you down with my left hand,” while Blackburn added, “Everybody could take you down … very easily.”
Blackburn is also said to have called Seigel a “piece of shit,” though he later denied making that remark.
Additionally, Blackburn allegedly coached Dixon throughout the deposition, instructing him with phrases like “Don’t answer that” and “he has answered it about 100 times,” while attempting to block questions and limit evidence. Dixon, on his part, is accused of repeatedly responding with “I don’t recall,” even in instances where he appeared to remember details.
The filings also state Blackburn refused to pause the deposition timer for breaks but abruptly ended a seven-hour session mid-question, declaring, “Time is up. Don’t answer that. Time is up. Seven hours is over.”
Court documents further reference Blackburn’s alleged history of aggressive conduct toward opposing counsel in other cases, including calling a lawyer a “disgusting racist.”
The legal dispute dates back to last March, when Dixon and Blackburn sent Fat Joe a demand letter seeking payment for work as a “ghostwriter and uncredited vocalist” on several songs.
After the rapper allegedly ignored the request, a follow-up letter was sent threatening legal action over unpaid wages, along with additional claims including statutory rape, forced labor, and fraud.
Fat Joe’s attorney Joe Tacopina dismissed those allegations as “false and outrageous” and made “with utter disregard for truth or decency.”
In response, Fat Joe filed a lawsuit in April against Dixon and Blackburn, accusing them of extortion, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In June 2025, Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon filed a $20 million federal lawsuit against Fat Joe in the Southern District of New York. They alleged that the rapper forced Dixon into thousands of sex acts, underpaid him, withheld songwriting credits, and issued threats.
Joe Tacopina quickly dismissed the claims, calling them “complete fabrications” aimed at tarnishing Fat Joe’s reputation.
That same month, Blackburn was arrested in New York after allegedly striking a process server with his car—an incident Tacopina described as further proof of Blackburn’s “malicious and manipulative pattern of misconduct” and a stain on the legal profession.
Months later, Fat Joe accused Blackburn of attempting to toss out the defamation case using fake, AI-generated legal citations.
