Busta Rhymes is facing serious legal trouble after his former personal assistant filed a federal lawsuit accusing the hip-hop star of assault, workplace abuse, wage violations, and blacklisting him from the music industry.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, Aug. 4, in Brooklyn federal court, stems from a January 10 incident at the 53-year-old rapper’s upscale home in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the assistant, Dashiel Gables, 50, claims the altercation began when he received a phone call from his daughter while unloading luggage.
According to the complaint, Busta — whose real name is Trevor Smith Jr. — allegedly became enraged, punching Gables “numerous times” in the face and yelling, “Stay the f— off your phone” and “Don’t tell about your kid, the f— that gotta do with me?”
Police reports show Gables was treated at NYC Health and Hospitals/Woodhull for swelling on the left side of his face and later released in stable condition. Four days after the alleged incident, Busta turned himself in at the NYPD’s 84th precinct, where he was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor that carries up to one year in prison.
In addition to the assault claim, Gables alleges that the “Break Ya Neck” rapper created an abusive workplace environment — accusing him of yelling at staff, spitting in employees’ faces, slapping the backs of their heads, and grabbing their clothing. The lawsuit also claims Busta failed to pay proper wages and overtime in violation of federal and state labor laws, and that Gables has been “effectively blacklisted” from jobs in the hip-hop industry since going to the police.
Gables is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages, emotional distress, unpaid overtime, and future income loss, and has requested a jury trial.
Busta Rhymes is strongly denying the allegations. In a statement to TMZ Hip Hop and other outlets, he said:
Read more at
https://www.hypefresh.com/ex-aide-accuses-busta-rhymes-of-assault-in-explosive-new-legal-battle/
