A professional violinist has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles, accusing Will Smith of retaliation and wrongful termination after reporting what he describes as a disturbing sexual assault–related incident during the actor’s 2025 concert tour.
Brian King Joseph, a touring musician who joined Smith’s Based on a True Story 2025 tour earlier this year, alleges he was fired after alerting hotel security and tour management to evidence that an unknown individual had entered his hotel room without permission and left behind what he interpreted as a sexual threat. The civil complaint was filed on Wednesday, Dec. 31, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, naming Smith and his company, Treyball Studios Management, as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred in March while the tour was in Las Vegas. Joseph says his hotel accommodations were booked and managed by Smith’s company and that access to his room should have been limited to hotel staff and tour personnel. When he returned to his room after rehearsals, Joseph claims he found evidence suggesting someone had entered while he was away.
The complaint alleges the items included wipes, a beer bottle, an earring, hospital discharge paperwork belonging to another individual, and a bottle of HIV medication bearing someone else’s name. Most troubling, Joseph says, was a handwritten note addressed directly to him. “Brian, I’ll be back no later than 5:30, just us,” the note read, according to the lawsuit, and was signed “Stone F,” with a heart drawn beneath the message.
Joseph states that the discovery left him fearful that someone intended to return to his room to engage in unwanted sexual contact. He says he immediately contacted hotel security, documented the scene, and reported the incident to tour management. He also alerted local authorities through a non-emergency police line.
Rather than receiving support, Joseph claims tour officials accused him of fabricating the incident. The lawsuit alleges he was blamed for the situation and told that his account was not credible. Days later, Joseph says he was informed that he was being dismissed from the tour.
Management allegedly told Joseph the tour was “moving in a different direction,” a justification he disputes. According to the complaint, another violinist was quickly hired to assume the same role, which Joseph argues demonstrates that his firing was retaliatory and not based on legitimate performance or staffing concerns.
Beyond the Las Vegas incident, the lawsuit outlines what Joseph describes as a pattern of inappropriate conduct leading up to the tour. He alleges that after meeting Smith in November 2024, the two began spending increasing amounts of time alone and that Smith made remarks suggesting an unusually personal bond.
In one instance cited in the complaint, Joseph claims Smith told him, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.” Joseph argues that such statements, combined with his abrupt firing after reporting the hotel intrusion, support his allegation that Smith was “grooming and priming” him for “further sexual exploitation.”
“The sequence of events and the circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident,” the lawsuit states.
Joseph is suing for sexual harassment, retaliation, intimidation, and wrongful termination. He is seeking unspecified financial damages, citing lost income, reputational harm, and the costs of investments he says he made in preparation for the tour, which ran from July through early September.
The complaint further alleges that the emotional toll of the incident and his termination has had lasting consequences. Joseph claims he now suffers from major physiological damage, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health issues as a result of the ordeal.
Smith, through his attorney, has strongly denied the allegations. In a statement issued Thursday, Jan. 1, attorney Allen B. Grodsky said, “Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my client are false, baseless, and reckless.” He added, “They are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light.”
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the allegations, and the claims outlined in the lawsuit have not been tested in court. Smith and Treyball Studios have not yet submitted a formal response to the complaint.
As the case moves forward, the lawsuit adds to a growing number of legal disputes involving Smith and his professional circle, placing renewed scrutiny on the conduct of touring artists and the responsibilities of management teams when performers working under their supervision raise serious allegations.
