Skilled violinist Brian King Joseph has filed a lawsuit towards actor Will Smith, 57, and his firm, Treyball Studios Administration, Inc., alleging sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.
The grievance was filed on Tuesday, Dec. 30, on the Superior Courtroom of California, County of Los Angeles, towards the Recent Prince of Bel Air star.
The grievance alleges that Smith “was intentionally grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for additional sexual exploitation.” This accusation stems from Smith inviting Joseph to hitch his international tour, Based mostly on a True Story: 2025, in November 2024, in keeping with Individuals.
The lawsuit particulars an alleged “traumatic collection of occasions” that occurred throughout Will Smith’s tour in March 2025. Joseph claims that upon coming into his Las Vegas resort room, he found no indicators of compelled entry however discovered proof “of a sexual menace of violence.”
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This proof allegedly included a number of objects: a handwritten notice signed “Stone F” that learn, “Brian, I’ll be again…simply us,” accompanied by a drawn coronary heart; a purple backpack; wipes and a beer bottle; an earring; and hospital discharge paperwork and a bottle of HIV treatment, each belonging to a person unknown to Joseph.
Joseph alleges he “feared that an unknown particular person would quickly return to his room to interact in sexual acts” with him, in keeping with the grievance.
The grievance alleges that after Joseph reported the incident to the resort workers, a neighborhood non-emergency police line, and Smith’s administration crew, a member of the tour administration crew subsequently “shamed” him and knowledgeable him of his termination. In keeping with the grievance, one other violinist was then allegedly employed to fill the place on the tour.
The incident triggered Joseph “extreme emotional misery, financial loss, reputational hurt, and different damages,” together with “PTSD and different psychological sickness on account of the termination,” reads the grievance.
Nonetheless, in an announcement given to Individuals on January 1st, Will Smith’s legal professional, Allen B. Grodsky, vehemently denied the accusations, saying, “Mr. Joseph’s allegations regarding my shopper are false, baseless, and reckless.” Grodsky added that the claims “are categorically denied, and we are going to use all authorized means accessible to handle these claims and to make sure that the reality is delivered to gentle.”
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Joseph, a Washington, D.C. native, was a top-three finalist on America’s Acquired Expertise season 13 in 2018. In December 2024, the violinist started touring with Will Smith, sharing a video of his efficiency on Instagram to mark the primary night time.
This growth follows a separate $3 million lawsuit filed on December 1st towards his spouse, Jada Pinkett Smith, by former affiliate Bilaal Salaam (also referred to as Brother Bilaal).
Salaam alleges that Jada Pinkett Smith verbally threatened him. In keeping with an leisure supply who spoke to Individuals, the couple “are actually mad and say it’s a variety of crap,” dismissing Salaam as “an opportunistic individual out to use them.”
Following the March 2025 launch of his titular album, Will Smith launched into his Based mostly on a True Story tour, which ran from June to September 2025.
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