Damon Dash just took a heavy financial hit in a lingering beef that dates back to 2019. The former music mogul and producer has been slapped with a $4 million default judgment in a defamation lawsuit brought by filmmaker Josh Webber, TMZ reports.
The roots of this battle stretch back six years, when Dame and Webber publicly clashed over their joint movie project Dear Frank. What started as creative differences spiraled into a full-blown feud, with both men airing dirty laundry and throwing shots in interviews and online. But things escalated when Dash took his grievances to the mic on the popular Earn Your Leisure podcast.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Webber filed the defamation suit in April 2024, claiming Dame’s comments cost him a $4 million directing and producing deal. And what comments, you ask? Dame didn’t hold back, reportedly saying:
“I had a judgment. And I knew this ahead Chris Brown and Josh Webber and Muddy Waters… Chris Brown the lawyer. I went through four trials with the same lawyer… What I lost was defamation because these guys trigger me and steal my s… You think there is freedom of speech, it’s really not.”
Webber claims that kind of public slander not only damaged his reputation but effectively torched major business opportunities. And since Dame never responded to the lawsuit, the judge hit him with a default ruling — meaning Dash didn’t even show up to defend himself, so Webber walks away with a clean W and a multi-million dollar payout.
This isn’t the first time Dame Dash has found himself in legal hot water, but a $4 million judgment definitely stings — especially considering it stems from a podcast appearance. In the age of receipts and replay buttons, loose talk can cost real money.
No word yet from Dame or his camp on the ruling, but knowing his history, it’s only a matter of time before he addresses it — probably on another podcast.
One thing’s for sure: in hip hop and Hollywood, your words don’t just shape the narrative — they can hit the wallet too.