Fat Joe’s defamation case continues to draw attention, with a New York judge reportedly left “appalled” by what she described as lawyer Tyrone Blackburn’s “lack of professionalism.”
For those catching up on the case, Terrance Dixon and Blackburn were both named as defendants in a defamation lawsuit filed by Fat Joe in 2025 over allegations the rapper described as “wholly fabricated” and “scandalous.” Fat Joe has also referred to Dixon as “a disgruntled former hype man” who allegedly attempted to extort him.
By July of this year, Blackburn had revealed that he was seeking to withdraw as Dixon’s legal counsel.
Then, on Aug. 26, Blackburn asked Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis for a one-week extension to refile his motion to withdraw as counsel, with the deadline also falling on Aug. 26. According to his argument, Blackburn claimed that a “presently inaccessible” hard drive had prevented him from meeting the deadline.
In her response, Judge Willis criticized Blackburn for failing to meet the Aug. 26 deadline, pointing out that it had already been extended from an earlier date.
“The Court is appalled at the lack of professionalism and diligence displayed,” Willis added. “A technological issue is not a valid excuse for missing yet another court deadline, and Blackburn should have requested an extension as soon as he was aware of the hard drive problem.”
Despite her criticism, Willis ultimately approved the request.
Blackburn’s name may already be familiar to readers, as he was previously accused of using AI-generated citations.
