Attorney Tyrone Blackburn is taking a leave of absence from practicing the law.
Blackburn, who has represented clients in high-profile cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Joseph “Fat Joe” Cartagena, submitted a letter in New Jersey federal court in December, saying he is withdrawing “from active practice.”
The letter, which was first revealed by The Diddy Docket social media account on Jan. 1, says Blackburn is dealing with the emotional toll of losing several loved ones.
“Since Labor Day, I have experienced the deaths of four individuals close to me,” the letter reads. “These losses have had a profoundly detrimental effect on my mental, physical, and emotional well-being.”
Blackburn adds that the “personal tragedies” have occurred against a “backdrop of extraordinary professional challenges.”
The letter was dated Dec. 3, and sent to U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper in Newark, New Jersey.
The document says Blackburn suffers from stress-related health problems, which have rendered him “unable” to provide his clients with the “quality of representation they deserve.”
Additionally, Blackburn says he’s faced death threats and had “individuals appearing at my residence,” after several of his cases received national media attentional.
The letter lists five pending cases before the New Jersey court, and says Blackburn’s clients are working on securing new representation. The document notes that the attorney is a “solo practitioner without substantial staff.”
The status of his cases in other jurisdictions is unclear. Urban Hollywood 411 contacted Blackburn earlier today, but so far there’s been no response.
The attorney’s biography says he started T. A. Blackburn Law in 2019.
Since 2023, he has filed explosive sexual abuse lawsuits against Diddy on behalf of male music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, and female accusers Liza Gardner, and April Lampros.
He has also represented Bad Boy Entertainment co-founder Kirk Burrowes, who alleged in a civil suit that Diddy and his mother Janice Combs threatened violence and colluded in an “elaborate scheme” to seize Burrowes’ 25 percent ownership stake in the company.
In April 2024, Blackburn filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of former stewardess Grace O’Marcaigh, who alleged she was sexually assaulted on a yacht Diddy chartered in December 2022.
Among his other high-profile cases, Blackburn has represented Fat Joe’s former hype man Terrance “T.A.” Dixon, who’s engaged in a legal war with the rapper over music rights and alleged defamatory comments.
In June 2025, Blackburn was arrested for allegedly striking a process server with his car in New York City. According to NBC News, the attorney was booked on suspicion of assault.
Fat Joe’s lawyer Joe Tacopina told several media outlets the process server was trying to hand Blackburn paperwork at the time.
TMZ later reported the 66-year-old process server suffered a “major knee injury” and needed surgery. That same month, Blackburn filed a $20 million lawsuit against Fat Joe.
Blackburn’s Dec. 3 letter says he was “falsely accused of running over a process server,” and has retained legal counsel to represent him in the criminal case.
“The combination of defending myself through counsel while simultaneously attempting to represent my clients have become untenable given my current mental and physical state,” the letter reads.
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