A former hypeman who sued Fat Joe over shocking underage sex allegations — accusations the star has called part of an extortion scheme — has quietly dropped all reference to such allegations in a new version of his lawsuit.
Terrance “T.A.” Dixon sued Fat Joe (Joseph Cartagena) last year over sweeping allegations of wrongdoing, including sex trafficking, fraud, racketeering and, most seriously, that he had “personally witnessed” him engage in “sexual relations” with two girls aged 15 and 16.
But in an amended complaint filed in court Thursday (March 26), Dixon’s allegations no longer contain those claims of underage sex, and it also removes previous allegations made under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law. Dixon’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, did not immediately return a request for comment on why those accusations had been dropped.
The move is significant, and not just because it means Fat Joe is no longer facing hideous accusations that would constitute a crime if true. The rapper has long said such claims were part of a scheme by Dixon to extort him into a settlement; in his own separate lawsuit filed months before Dixon’s case, the rapper said the hypeman had been threatening to sue him over “grotesque” false claims, including “unspeakable acts such as pedophilia,” if he was not paid out.
The new version of Dixon’s lawsuit still includes serious accusations, including that Fat Joe violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act by coercing Dixon to work for him and to take part in non-consensual sexual encounters. But other claims are more of a business nature, centering on allegations that Dixon was not properly paid wages and not properly credited as a co-writer on certain songs.
In a statement to Billboard, Fat Joe’s lawyer Jordan Siev reiterated that the accusations against his client were “nothing more than an elaborate shakedown to extract money from him.”
“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,” Siev said.
Meanwhile, Joe’s lawsuit against Dixon is moving ahead. In a ruling earlier this month, a federal judge refused to dismiss the rapper’s claims that the hypeman and Blackburn legally defamed him by publicly airing their allegations, allowing those claims to go ahead toward a trial. Dixon and Blackburn are currently attempting to appeal the ruling.
