Busta Rhymes has agreed to pay his former assistant $25,000 to settle a legal battle over wages and alleged workplace abuse.
New court papers, reviewed by AllHipHop, reveal the deal amount between the rapper, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, and Dashiel Gables, who worked as his personal assistant from roughly July 2024 to January 2025.
Gables will receive two $12,500 payments, with half classified as wages and the other half covering the remainder of the settlement. The agreement still needs a federal judge’s approval before the case can fully close.
The $25,000 payout is far below the roughly $6 million Gables was initially seeking from the veteran rapper.
In his lawsuit, Gables alleged he routinely worked 15 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for a flat $200 daily rate. He also accused Busta of punching him several times during a Jan. 10, 2025, dispute inside a Brooklyn building.
Gables claimed the altercation left injuries to his face and ended his employment that day.
Busta denied the allegations and later sued Gables, accusing his former assistant of making false statements that harmed his reputation and cost him business opportunities.
The settlement ends both sides’ claims without a trial and includes no admission of wrongdoing.
Once Gables receives the full payment, he must permanently dismiss his lawsuit and cannot bring the same claims again.
