Lawyer calls for investigation into rapper TI and wife Tiny over sexual assault allegations
Couple’s lawyer says they deny the allegations ‘in the strongest possible terms’
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A lawyer is calling for an investigation into rapper TI and his wife, singer Tameka “Tiny” Harris, after they were accused of sexual abuse and kidnapping by multiple women.
A New York Times report cites a letter from lawyer Tyrone A Blackburn, who is representing 11 alleged victims of “sexual abuse, forced ingestion of illegal narcotics, kidnapping, terroristic threats and false imprisonment”.
The abuse is said to have taken place between 2005 to 2018, according to the article. Five of the women claimed they were raped or sexually assaulted by TI – real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr – and Tiny.
Reportedly among the couple’s accusers are a military veteran, a teenage intern at TI’s studio and record label, and a former friend-turned-assistant, according to the lawyer’s letters.
The Harris’s lawyer issued a statement to Rolling Stone this week to say that they deny “in the strongest possible terms these unsubstantiated and baseless allegations”.
“We are confident that if these claims are thoroughly and fairly investigated, no charges will be forthcoming,” the statement said.
“These allegations are nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media. The Harris’s implore everyone not to be taken in by these obvious attempts to manipulate the press and misuse the justice system.”
Production was halted on the fourth season of the couple’s VH1 reality show – TI and Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle – in February after their former friend Sabrina Peterson accused TI on Instagram of holding a gun to her head.
She then used her social media account to share allegations of sexual abuse against the couple by anonymous women.
A spokesperson for MTV Entertainment said: “We are aware of the allegations, and while they are not connected to our show, we have reached out to TI and Tameka Harris, as well as local and state officials. Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”
According to Deadline, the decision to suspend production was a mutual decision between MTV Entertainment and the Harris’s.
TI’s spokesperson said in a statement responding to Peterson’s allegations: “Mr and Mrs Harris want to be on record and more importantly want the public to know they emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them by Sabrina Peterson.
“The Harris’s have had difficulty with this woman for well over a decade. They are taking this matter very seriously, and if these allegations don’t end, they will take appropriate legal action.”