Fat Joe’s defamation proceedings continue to generate negative attention for the defendant, as a New York judge has been left “appalled” by the “lack of professionalism” exhibited by lawyer Tyrone Blackburn.
But first, a quick refresher for those who may not be privy to what has transpired leading up to this: Terrance Dixon, and Blackburn, were both named as defendants in a defamation suit filed by Joe in 2025 over “wholly fabricated” and “scandalous” allegations. Dixon, notably, has been described by Joe as “a disgruntled former hype man” who has attempted to extort him.
But by July of this year, Blackburn was revealed to be seeking to withdraw as counsel for Dixon.
Fast forward to Aug. 26, and Blackburn had asked Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis for a one-week extension of a deadline (also slated for Aug. 26) for refiling his motion to withdraw as counsel. In his argument, viewed in full by Complex, Blackburn pointed to a “presently inaccessible” hard drive as the reason for his request.
In her response, also viewed by Complex, Willis admonished Blackburn for missing the Aug. 26 deadline, noting that it already marked an extension of a previous deadline.
“The Court is appalled at the lack of professionalism and diligence displayed,” Willis added. “A technological issue is not a valid excuse for missing yet another court deadline, and Blackburn should have requested an extension as soon as he was aware of the hard drive problem.”
Willis, however, did grant the request.
The Blackburn name should be familiar to readers, as he was previously accused of using AI-generated citations.
