*A California judge has handed Will Smith a legal victory, dismissing a lawsuit brought by a violinist who claimed he was fired after reporting sexual harassment during the actor’s 2025 music tour, The Blast reports.
On May 4, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Shultz ruled in favor of Smith and his company Treyball Studios Management, agreeing that Brian King Joseph’s December 30 complaint did not meet the legal threshold required to move forward. The decision keeps Smith out of a courtroom for now, with Joseph’s attorneys given 30 days to refile or watch the case close permanently.
Joseph, who served as a violinist on Smith’s “Based on a True Story” 2025 tour, alleged that Smith engaged in “predatory behavior” and “deliberately groomed and primed Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation.” Joseph first joined Smith’s camp in November 2024 for a single San Diego engagement before earning a spot on the full tour and a role contributing to Smith’s forthcoming album. The lawsuit quotes Smith allegedly telling Joseph, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.”
The complaint centered on a deeply unsettling incident Joseph says unfolded during the tour’s Las Vegas stop in March 2025. Upon entering his hotel room, Joseph discovered unfamiliar items that did not belong to him, including wipes, HIV medication bearing another person’s name, and a handwritten note reading: “Brian, I’ll be back no later 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F.”
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According to Joseph’s lawsuit, per USA Today, the incident left him “afraid an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts.” He took the matter to hotel security, tour management, and law enforcement.
Joseph alleges that within days of reporting what he had found, a management representative dismissed his account as a fabrication and removed him from the tour. He has since claimed the experience triggered PTSD and left him in serious financial distress. He had sought damages to be determined by a jury.
Judge Shultz ultimately issued a ruling, finding that Joseph failed to “adequately allege conduct that is sufficiently severe” or consistent with a pattern that would “create an abusive working environment,” and concluding that none of his claims “survive demurrer.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Violinist Brian King Joseph Spoke Publicly Before Filing Lawsuit Against Will Smith
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