Busta Rhymes is countersuing his former assistant, accusing him of fabricating an assault lawsuit. The Break Ya Neck rapper denies punching his former employee, Dashiel Gables, in the face for using his phone on the job. He further claims that the assistant's very public legal claims resulted in him losing out on two lucrative ad campaigns. Rhymes, real name Trevor Smith Jr, was hit with a lawsuit this summer from Gables, who worked as his personal assistant for about six months from July 2024. Gables alleges Rhymes routinely abused employees and that the rapper physically assaulted him in the lobby of a Brooklyn luxury high-rise in January. At the time the lawsuit was filed, Rhymes called it "an attempted shakedown by a disgruntled former assistant" and vowed to countersue. He has now followed through with a defamation counterclaim docketed on Monday in federal court. "Smith did not assault or batter Gables," wrote Rhymes' lawyer. "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." The countersuit alleges that Gables' very public lawsuit has damaged Rhymes' reputation and caused him humiliation and embarrassment. Gables alleged he had to go to the hospital to get treatment for his injuries, and that he was later "blacklisted" from the hip-hop industry. He filed a police report against Rhymes, but no charges were ever brought.