Fat Joe is at the center of a legal storm involving disturbing accusations and a wage dispute, but Roc Nation says it has no business being dragged into the mess.
The entertainment company filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Terrance Dixon, who accused the rapper of a range of serious misconduct, including wage theft and more severe claims like “coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation and psychological coercion.” Dixon also alleged that Fat Joe engaged in sexual acts with minors.
Roc Nation’s attorney, Alex Spiro, pushed back hard, calling the claims against the company baseless. “Roc Nation has nothing to do with any of this. Nothing. And we expect this case to be dismissed,” Spiro said in a statement to Billboard.
In the legal filing, Spiro emphasized Roc Nation’s limited role in the matter.
“Roc Nation’s alleged role in this case—according to plaintiff himself—is that it became [Fat Joe’s] artist management company in 2017, and in that capacity, earned a commission on revenue [Fat Joe] generated,” Spiro wrote. “Yet, according to plaintiff, the fact that Roc Nation had a business relationship with [Fat Joe] somehow makes Roc Nation part of a RICO enterprise, a participant in sex trafficking, and an aider-and-abettor of [Fat Joe’s] alleged conduct. That is nonsensical.”
Spiro also questioned the logic behind the accusations. “How Roc Nation supposedly knew of this deplorable alleged conduct is a mystery,” he added. “He does not assert how Roc Nation’s management of [Fat Joe’s] music business gave it insight into how much plaintiff should have been paid, what he was paid, or any venture to deprive him of adequate compensation.”
Dixon’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, responded with a statement of his own, confirming he will fight the motion.
“I am happy to see that Roc Nation was smart enough to distance itself from Fat Joe and his RICO enterprise,” Blackburn said. “The plaintiff has no personal animosity towards Roc Nation or its leadership.”
Meanwhile, Tacopina has already denied all allegations and suggested there’s more going on behind the scenes, saying, “Law enforcement is aware of the extortionate demand at the heart of this scheme,” Tacopina said.
The lawsuit, which includes claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, remains active as of Tuesday (June 24).