Rapper Trae Tha Truth was sued for defamation by the mother of his daughter, who alleges he maligned her reputation on Instagram and used the girl as a pawn in their dispute.
Heather Cuevas’ Van Nuys Superior Court lawsuit also alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil harassment. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A representative for the singer, whose real name is Frazier Othel Thompson III, could not be immediately reached for comment on the suit filed Thursday.
“This case arises from a long history of aggressive behavior, physical abuse, emotional abuse and harassment by the father of Ms. Cuevas’ daughter,” the suit states.
In January, Thompson “orchestrated an elaborate Instagram story to defame and harass Cuevas” by misleading his followers and accusing Cuevas of keeping their daughter from seeing him, the suit states.
“This was not true,” the suit states. “The videos posted are full of lies. The entire production was a scam, an elaborate scheme to make himself a victim and Cuevas a villain.”
Thompson has said things like “send her to jail” and called for her to be held in contempt, the suit states.
Thompson’s latest album is scheduled for release this month and its title is a play on his stage name as well as the child’s name, according to the suit.
“Thus, it should not come as a surprise that Thompson would attempt to start a public campaign of lies and deception against Cuevas to gain public support,” the suit states.
Thompson’s fans have since threatened Cuevas’ life, the suit alleges. While all of his other social media posts get very little engagement, Thompson’s attacks on Cuevas have drawn five to six times the number of responses, according to the suit.
“The false and misleading attacks are intentionally designed to stir up anger against Cuevas,” the suit alleges.
Thompson has doubled down in his efforts to defame and hurt Cuevas despite his knowledge that some of his followers have volunteered to harm Cuevas based on his comments, the suit states. Any reasonable person would suffer emotion distress as a result of Thompson’s alleged actions, according to the suit.
“It is cynical,” the suit states. “It is wrong. It must stop.”
In addition to his music career, the Houston-born Thompson, 41, is the founder of Angel by Nature, a charity aimed at helping the impoverished youth of Texas. “Trae Day” is celebrated every year on July 22 in Houston.
