Renowned music executive and Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash has been the center of controversy following remarks he made about filmmaker Josh Webber.
Josh Webber, on February 18, 2025, alleged in a court document that the comments made by record producer Damon Dash caused the filmmaker to lose an opportunity worth $4 million.
In March 2024, in an appearance on the podcast Earn Your Leisure, Dash reflected on his legal battle with Webber, which he lost in 2022, and alleged that the filmmaker and his lawyer, Chris Brown, "triggered" him and caused him financial loss —
"What I lost was defamation because these guys trigger me and steal my sh*t," Dash said.
The legal battle between the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder and Josh Webber stems from 2016 when Dash was removed from the project, Dear Frank, under drug allegations.
Damon Dash's alleged remarks on Josh Webber lead to fallout over $4 million directing job:
On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, the lawsuit filed by Josh Webber against Damon Dash for defamation came to an end.
According to Judge John F. Walter, the record producer has repeatedly violated the court's order and failed to appear in court for the trial. This lawsuit also alleged that Dash's remarks on the podcast caused the filmmaker to lose a gig and affected his reputation.
The alleged remarks in question stem from a live podcast streamed on March 28, 2024, on Earn Your Leisure, where Dash alleged that there is no "freedom of speech," reportedly causing damage to filmmaker Webber's reputation, as per Hip Hop DX —
"I had a judgment. And I knew this d*ckhead Chris Brown (pause) and Josh Webber (pause) and Muddy Waters…Chris Brown, the lawyer. I went through four trials with the same lawyer... you think there is freedom of speech, it's really not," Dash said.
According to All Hip Hop, the $4 million deal to direct Fast Life ended just eight days after signing with the production company Rebel Entertainment, and according to the founder, Rock Jacobs, the investors do not want to associate their names with a project line that is anywhere linked with controversy.
The documents obtained by All Hip Hop read as follows —
"While I haven't had the opportunity to delve deeply into these allegations, initial online searches do not paint a favorable picture... Regrettably, based on the findings outlined above, I must officially terminate our agreement," Jacobs wrote in an email to Webber.
Additionally, recent court findings indicate that Webber seeks to recover the financial losses he allegedly incurred due to Dash's remarks during a podcast.
The legal battle between Damon Dash and Josh Webber started in 2016, during the making of Dear Frank. According to the documents, Josh Webber and Muddy Water Pictures claimed that Dash was allegedly "high" during the making. Thus, the team made the movie without him and his Sherman Oaks property.
Later in 2019, Webber filed a lawsuit against the record producer and sued him for copyright infringement and defamation, saying he tried to sell the movie Dear Frank from his end.
As per Dash, the makers used his property and equipment to film the movie and ultimately removed him. However, due to Dash's lack of presence in the trial and perspective, the jury concluded the case in Webber's favor and ordered the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder to pay $823,000 in damages.
According to All Hip Hop, the court will hear Josh Webber's motion for default judgment on April 7, 2025.
As of now, Damon Dash has not responded to Webber's claims.