Fat Joe might have to update his defamation lawsuit against Terrance "T.A." Dixon, since Dixon's original filing against Joe has dropped some of its more serious allegations. According to Billboard, his legal team filed an amended complaint in court yesterday (Thursday, March 26) that removes allegations of sex with minors and RICO violations against the rapper.
Terrance "T.A." Dixon's original accusations against Joey Crack emerged last year. Dixon, Joe's former hypeman, accused him of sex trafficking, racketeering, and fraud, alleging that he "personally witnessed" him partake in "sexual relations" with a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl.
However, in the amended complaint, the plaintiff and his legal team removed the pedophilia and RICO allegations. Still, this new filing continues to accuse Joe of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Dixon claims the New York MC manipulated him into working for him and participating in non-consensual sexual activity.
The other claims in this new lawsuit relate more to business matters, as Dixon accused Fat Joe of withholding due wages and failing to properly credit him as a co-writer on various tracks.
Dixon's attorney Tyrone Blackburn reportedly did not immediately respond to a request from Billboard to address these dropped allegations. Elsewhere, Joe's lawyer Jordan Siev issued the following statement to the publication.
"Their decision to now voluntarily amend Mr. Dixon’s complaint — removing all allegations involving transporting of minors, statutory rape and RICO — and recast this matter primarily as a financial dispute about royalties and wages allegedly owed only reinforces that the allegations were baseless and that Mr. Cartagena is the one being targeted."
Fat Joe's Defamation Lawsuit
Fat Joe sued Terrance "T.A." Dixon and Tyrone Blackburn for defamation, alleging that their accusations are related to an extortion tactic. This defamation lawsuit claimed that Dixon had threatened to sue him over "grotesque" fake allegations, demanding a payout. The Terror Squad boss' lawyer had previously alleged that the accusations against his client were "nothing more than an elaborate shakedown to extract money from him."
Now, that defamation lawsuit will move forward in court with a federal judge's support. Meanwhile, Fat Joe's accuser and his legal team is trying to appeal this judge's ruling and secure a dismissal.
