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The former assistant claimed the Grammy-nominated rapper punched him with a closed fist and blacklisted him from the hip-hop industry<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\tBusta Rhymes<\/a> has reached a private settlement with the ex-assistant who claimed the Grammy-nominated rapper punched him in the face<\/a> in the lobby of the rapper\u2019s Brooklyn apartment building last year.<\/p>\n \n\tThe former assistant, Dashiel Gables, had claimed Rhymes, born Trevor Smith Jr., flew into a rage and assaulted him over a delayed pan of chicken and a phone call Gables took from his young daughter, which purportedly violated a no-cellphone rule on the job.<\/p>\n \n\tSmith, 53, was arrested and issued a desk appearance ticket for third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, CBS News New York reported at the time<\/a>. Last August, the ex-assistant filed an assault and battery lawsuit in federal court that invoked the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. He claimed he was subjected to workplace abuses and then blackballed from the hip-hop industry after the alleged assault.<\/p>\n \n\tSmith denied Gables\u2019 allegations and filed a counterclaim<\/a> for defamation in October. He said Gables\u2019 claims damaged his reputation and caused him to lose income and business opportunities.<\/p>\n