Busta Rhymes settles legal dispute with former assistant over assault and defamation claims
Terms of the agreement were not made public, according to Rolling Stone.
Busta Rhymes has reached a private settlement in a legal dispute with his former assistant that included assault allegations and a defamation countersuit, according to Rolling Stone.
The case was brought by former assistant Dashiel Gables, who accused the Grammy-nominated artist, born Trevor George Smith Jr., of assaulting him during an incident outside the rapper’s Brooklyn apartment building in 2023. In his claims, Gables alleged that Rhymes “flew into a rage” and punched him in the face with a closed fist after a dispute over a delayed meal and a phone call Gables took from his young daughter, an action he said violated workplace rules restricting phone use.
According to reporting from CBS News New York cited in the court record, Smith was arrested and issued a desk appearance ticket for third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. The criminal matter, however, has since been sealed, according to a spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
Gables later escalated the matter into civil court, filing an assault and battery lawsuit in federal court in August. In his filing, he invoked the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and alleged that he was subjected to workplace abuse during his employment. He further claimed that after the alleged incident, he was effectively blacklisted from the hip-hop industry, limiting his ability to secure future work.
The civil case expanded further when Busta Rhymes denied the allegations and filed a countersuit in October, accusing Gables of defamation. In that filing, Rhymes argued that the accusations damaged his reputation and cost him income and business opportunities.
Both sides ultimately agreed to resolve the dispute through private mediation. In a letter filed with the court this week, attorneys for both Rhymes and Gables confirmed that a settlement had been reached. They noted that the parties were in the process of finalizing documentation and expected to complete it within 10 days. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
A judge overseeing the case ordered the parties to file a formal motion documenting the settlement by June 1, according to Rolling Stone.
At this time, neither Rhymes nor Gables has publicly commented on the outcome of the case. Attorneys for both parties also did not respond to requests for comment, Rolling Stone reported.
Because the case was resolved through private mediation, key details, including any financial terms or additional conditions, will likely remain confidential unless otherwise disclosed in future court filings.
The resolution brings an end to a legal dispute that spanned both criminal and civil proceedings and included competing claims over workplace conduct, alleged assault, and reputational harm within the entertainment industry.