Rapper T.I. is being sued by an Atlanta recording studio technician who says was held hostage for 12 hours and beaten by one of the musician’s employees in a dispute over a missing necklace.
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was not at Echo Studios at the time of the Sept. 8 incident, but the suit filed Monday in Fulton County State Court holds him responsible because he was allegedly sent e-mails, text messages and videos as the alleged attack was happening. T.I. is the owner of Echo Studios.
The suit was filed by Norris Gresham, who is identified as an artist and a technician at Echo and who also occasionally helped set up a entertainment venues.
The suit also names some of T.I.’s employees and performers who use his studios – Jonathan Carle, a hip-hop artist known as “Spodee;” Terrance Beasley, also called “Cap;” Cortez Thomas, nicknamed “C Rod;” Nathaniel Josey, who went by the name “Mac Boney;” and Michael Render, whose stage name now is “Mike Bigga.”
According to the suit, Render, formerly known as Killer Mike, couldn’t find a gold diamond-encrusted chain and medallion. While they looked for the necklace, Gresham said, he was held captive for 12 hours, threatened and interrogated.
At one point, Render sent text messages offering a “1k reward for information regarding the item.”
Also, Josey was sending T.I. text messages and e-mails, updating him on what was happening at Echo Studios, according to the suit.
After the necklace and medallion were found hidden in a ceiling, Carle began to suspect that Gresham had told Render that Carle had taken it.
“Spodee became upset and disturbed,” the lawsuit said.
Moments later, the suit said, Carle produced a gun and threatened to kill Gresham.
But Beasley, one of the Echo managers, persuaded Carle to beat up Gresham instead of shooting him, the suit said.
Beasley and Josey allegedly pushed Gresham down some stairs and then Carle beat him, knocking out two of his teeth.
The suit said Thomas, also an Echo manager, used his cell phone camera to record the attack and then he forwarded the video to T.I.
“T.I. did nothing to stop or prevent the assault,” the suit said.
Three weeks after the incident central to the suit, a federal judge ordered T.I. to return to prison for 11 months for violating his probation. T.I. and his wife were arrested in Los Angeles on a drug charge just a few months after he was released from prison where he served a year and a day for a 2007 weapons charge.
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