Will Smith sued by touring violinist for sexual harassment and wrongful termination

Will Smith has been sued by a touring violinist who alleges sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation.

Brian King Joseph filed suit in California Superior Court on Los Angeles December 30 against Black-smith and the Management of Treyball Studios. The action accuses Black-smith of “predatory behavior” and “deliberate conditioning and grooming of Mr. Joseph for deeper sexual exploration” before his tour Based on a true story: 2025.

The lawsuit alleges that Black-smith hiring Joseph in November 2024 to perform in concert at San Diego. The rapper then invited Joseph to join his 2025 tour and play on his next album. The lawsuit states that Black-smith said once Joseph: “You and I have such a special bond that I don’t have with anyone else.”

Joseph alleges a “series of traumatic events” occurred Las Vegas in March 2025, where Black-smith was playing. During an incident, the Black-smith would have lost her handbag Josephwhich contained the key to his hotel room. Joseph says he discovered someone had entered his hotel room Las Vegas no signs of break-in. Evidence of “a sexual threat of violence” reportedly included a handwritten note saying, “Brian, I’ll be back…just the two of us,” with a drawn heart and signed “Stone F.”

The musician also found “handkerchiefs, a bottle of beer, a red backpack, a bottle of anti-HIV medication bearing the name of another person, an earring and hospital discharge documents belonging to an unknown person.” Joseph. Joseph states that he “feared that a stranger would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts.”

Joseph reported the incident to hotel security and security representatives. Black-smithas well as the non-emergency police line. The lawsuit alleges that a few days later, a member of the management team Black-smith “shamed” him about the incident and told him he was going to be fired, suggesting that Joseph all invented. Joseph said he later suffered “post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses as a result of his dismissal.”

The “circumstances of the hotel break-in suggest predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident,” the complaint states. She adds that Joseph experienced “serious emotional distress, economic loss, reputational damage and other harm” as a result of the alleged incident and her termination.

“Mr. Joseph about my client are false, unfounded and reckless,” he said Allen B. Grodskylawyer of Black-smithhas People in a statement. “These allegations are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to dispute these allegations and ensure the truth is revealed.”

Black-smith released his latest album, Based on a true story (2025), in March. Black-smith carried out in Las Vegas on March 20, 2025 at House of Blues Las Vegas and in SoFi Stadium In Los Angeles a few days later. His tour officially kicked off in June Rabat, Morocco.