Busta Rhymes‘ former assistant is suing over allegations that the rapper assaulted him and then blacklisted him in the music industry – a lawsuit that quickly prompted the star to “categorically” deny any wrongdoing and threaten a countersuit.
In a case filed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court, Dashiel Gables claims Busta (born Trevor Smith Jr.) repeatedly punched him in the face in January for using his phone on the job. After Gables filed a police report, he says the star retaliated by ensuring that nobody else will hire him.
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“This industry-wide retaliation has devastated plaintiff’s career prospects and ability to earn a living in the only industry in which he has worked,” attorneys for Gables write in the filing obtained by Billboard.
But in a response statement Thursday, Rhymes said he “completely and categorically” denies the allegations from Gables, who the star described as an ex-staffer who only worked for him for “a very brief period.”
“Apparently, Dashiel has decided to respond to being let go by manufacturing claims against me in an attempt to attack and damage my reputation,” Rhymes wrote in a statement shared with Billboard. “I look forward to proving these allegations false, and am preparing a countersuit, which I am confident will expose this for what it is — an attempted shakedown by a disgruntled former assistant. Ultimately, I am certain the truth will prevail.”
Rhymes was arrested in January over the alleged Jan. 10 attack in the lobby of the star’s luxury Brooklyn high-rise, in which police said the rapper punched the 50-year-old staffer in the face multiple times, sending him to the hospital. Court records do not indicate that prosecutors ended up pursuing charges over the incident.
In his lawsuit, Gables offered more alleged details on the incident, which he says was sparked by a phone call from his daughter while he was unloading the star’s luggage. Though Gables said he ignored the call, he claims he responded via text message, sending Rhymes “into a rage” in which the star allegedly screamed, “Stay the f–k off your phone.”
“When plaintiff explained it was his daughter, Busta Rhymes responded, ‘Don’t tell me about your f–king kid, what the f–k that gotta do with me?” Gables’ lawyers wrote. “When plaintiff responded that it could have been an emergency, Busta Rhymes asked ‘are you talking while I’m talking?’ and then, with a closed fist, punched plaintiff in the face.”
After Rhymes allegedly punched him again, Gables said he himself walked away from the scene, causing the rapper to “to become even more enraged” and scream more.
“While plaintiff tolerated a great deal of abuse while working for Busta Rhymes, he could not tolerate the repeated physical assault and was unable to return to work,” his lawyers said, confirming that he filed a report with the police.
The incident has allegedly left Gables “frozen out of the hip-hop music industry” after decades of work in that space: “Word of the assault and plaintiff’s complaint against Busta Rhymes has spread throughout the tight-knit hip-hop community, resulting in plaintiff being effectively blacklisted from employment opportunities in his chosen field.”
In technical terms, the lawsuit accuses Rhymes of a variety of federal and state employment law violations, as well as civil assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
