{"id":9924,"date":"2026-03-01T04:24:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T04:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/will-smith-asks-to-toss-tour-violinists-sexual-harassment-lawsuit\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T10:10:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:10:40","slug":"will-smith-asks-to-toss-tour-violinists-sexual-harassment-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/will-smith-asks-to-toss-tour-violinists-sexual-harassment-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Smith Asks to Toss Tour Violinist\u2019s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tWill Smith\u2019s lawyers say a judge should throw out a \u201cfarce of a lawsuit\u201d brought by an electric violinist who performed on the star\u2019s Based on a True Story<\/em> tour last year.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Feb. 20 motion, obtained by Billboard<\/em>, is Smith\u2019s first court filing responding to sexual harassment and retaliation claims leveled against him by violinist Brian King Joseph in December. King, who came in third place on season 13 of America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em>, says he was wrongly fired from Smith\u2019s international tour after complaining that somebody had broken into his hotel room and left sexually suggestive materials.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cBrian King Joseph is using the California court system to maliciously ensnare [Will Smith] in a frivolous lawsuit,\u201d reads the motion, filed by Smith\u2019s attorneys at the firm Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani. \u201cThe false and salacious allegations in plaintiff\u2019s complaint undoubtedly make for tabloid fodder but, like most tabloid stories, they are untrue, inflammatory, legally baseless, and are nothing but an attempted money grab.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSmith denies ever sexually harassing Joseph. As Joseph\u2019s lawsuit acknowledges, it\u2019s not known who it was that broke into his Las Vegas hotel room and left a bottle of HIV medication, an earring and a note \u2013 and Smith says it absolutely wasn\u2019t him or anybody on his team.<\/p>\n

\n\tJoseph\u2019s case attempts to connect Smith to the hotel room incident by claiming that the actor and singer was \u201cgrooming\u201d him beforehand. But Smith says there\u2019s no truth to this \u201cabsurd conclusion\u201d either, noting that he was never even alone with Joseph.<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Smith, the real reason Joseph had to leave the Based on a True Story<\/em> tour was because he often arrived late for rehearsals, behaved erratically and made other performers feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPlaintiff was never promised a regular position in the band,\u201d writes Smith\u2019s lawyers. \u201cUltimately, it was determined that plaintiff was not a good fit for the band and he was not invited to perform at further shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tUltimately, Smith argues in the motion that a Los Angeles judge should dismiss the lawsuit permanently because Joseph has not pled any valid facts to prop up his claims.<\/p>\n

\n\tReached for comment on Smith\u2019s arguments on Friday (Feb. 27), Joseph\u2019s attorney Jonathan J. Delshad <\/strong>told Billboard<\/em>, \u201cA jury\u2019s ultimate determination matters more to us than Mr. Smith\u2019s opinion of this case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe defense\u2019s \u2018press-release rhetoric\u2019 that they added to the brief is not evidence,\u201d said Delshad. \u201cWe will oppose the motions and present the facts in court. When the case is complete, the gap between the rhetoric and the factual record will be obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSmith\u2019s dismissal motion is set to be considered by a judge at a hearing in April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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