Overview
- Brian King Joseph filed a civil complaint on Dec. 31 in Los Angeles County Superior Court naming Will Smith and Treyball Studios Management Inc. as defendants and seeking damages for retaliation, wrongful termination, and alleged violations of California employment and civil-rights laws.
- The suit centers on a March 2025 incident in Las Vegas, where Joseph says he returned to a tour-booked hotel room to find a handwritten note addressed to him and personal items, including wipes, medical paperwork, and prescription medication bearing another person’s name.
- The complaint states there were no signs of forced entry and that hotel security indicated only hotel staff and tour management had access to the room, leading Joseph to fear the intruder intended to return for sexual contact or assault.
- Joseph says he reported the incident to hotel security, tour management, and local authorities, requested basic safety measures, was accused of fabricating the account, and was terminated days later as another violinist was hired.
- The filing also alleges Smith made unusually intimate comments and had been grooming Joseph since they met in November 2024; Smith’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the case is in its early litigation phase.