Busta Rhymes has countersued his former personal assistant Dashiel Gables, who accused the rapper of assaulting him during an argument the pair allegedly had in January
Busta Rhymes has hit back at his former personal assistant by filing a countersuit, claiming the ex-employee “fabricated” allegations that the rapper assaulted him in January.
The 53-year-old musician, whose real name is Trevor George Smith Jr., submitted a counterclaim in federal court accusing his former assistant, Dashiel Gables, of defamation after the latter sued him for alleged assault and wrongful termination.
In the court documents, the Touch It hitmaker stated that the accusations significantly damaged his public standing and professional reputation.
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He claims he has suffered “damage to reputation, goodwill, and standing in the music and advertising industries”, as well as a loss of “advertising campaigns and other business opportunities”.
According to court documents obtained by People magazine, Busta is now seeking “special damages in an amount to be proven at trial”, and has added that in his opinion “Gables’ conduct was willful, wanton, and malicious, warranting an award of punitive damages”.
Gables, who worked for the hip-hop star from July 2024 until early this year, claimed that his employment ended after he reported an alleged assault to police.
However, Busta firmly denies the allegations, writing in his counterclaim: “Smith did not assault or batter Gables. Gables knew the statements were false, or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, including by fabricating allegations of criminal conduct and violence, omitting exculpatory facts and deliberately ignoring contrary evidence. At a minimum, Gables acted negligently in ascertaining the truth.”
The former assistant, who also goes by the name Divine, filed his own civil complaint on August 4, requesting a jury trial. He alleged that a confrontation in January 2025 escalated when Busta screamed at him to “stay the f*** off your phone” while he was trying to contact his daughter, before allegedly punching him twice in the face.
Gables claimed he suffered a swollen eye, filed a police report, and was subsequently fired, which he says “effectively blacklisted [him] from employment opportunities in his chosen field [in the music industry]”.
Gables’ lawsuit also alleges verbal abuse, wage violations, and discrimination, claiming Busta “routinely degraded and screamed” at him, used a homophobic slur, and mocked his hearing problems.
He is seeking compensation for lost wages, unpaid overtime, and damages under the Fair Labour Standards Act and New York Labour Law.
This court battle comes two years after Busta Rhymes went through a dramatic physical transformation. The rapper, who once weighed 340 pounds (24 stone) , told Men’s Health that he lost around 100 pounds (nearly 8 stone) after suffering a terrifying asthma-like attack during an intimate moment with his ex.
After his father died in 2014, Busta turned to “drinking, smoking and eating bad” to cope with grief. But after the health scare, he vowed to turn his life around.
“I felt like I was having like an asthma attack — but I don’t have asthma,” he said, adding that his ex told him he needed to lose weight for his own wellbeing.
Source: Mirror
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