T.I. is tucked safely in an Arkansas jail cell right now serving his 11 month sentence for probation violations, but he’s still facing legal issues outside in the free world.

T.I. aka Clifford Harris is now being sued by an employee of Echo studios.

Norris Gresham, who is identified as an artist and a technician at Echo claims in his lawsuit that Tip failed to step in when Killer Mike (aka Mike Bigga) accused him of stealing a necklace.

Apparently in the melee that ensued following the accusation, the employee was held captive and interrogated for 12 hours

The suit, filed Monday in Fulton County State Court holds Tip responsible for the incident.

Strange thing is…. T.I. wasn’t even there!

The incident occurred September 8th and according to the suit, a gold diamond-encrusted chain and medallion belonging to Michael Render, who we all know as Killer Mike (aka ?Mike Bigga?) turned up missing. As they looked for the necklace, Gresham said he was held captive for 12 hours, threatened and interrogated.

The suit also names some of T.I.?s employees and performers who use his studios ? Jonathan Carle, a hip-hop artist known as ?Spodee;? Terrance Beasley, also called ?Cap;? Cortez Thomas, nicknamed ?C Rod;? Nathaniel Josey, who went by the name ?Mac Boney;?.

Court documents claim that at one point, Render sent text messages offering a ?1k reward for information regarding the item.?

As all of this was going on, T.I. was kept abreast of the situation via text messages, e-mails, and videos updating him on what was happening at Echo Studios, according to the suit.

The necklace and medallion were subsequently found hidden in a ceiling, but Carle began to suspect that Gresham had told Render that Carle had taken it.

According to the suit, ?Spodee (Carle) became upset and disturbed,? and moments later, he produced a gun and threatened to kill Gresham.

Beasley, one of the Echo managers, persuaded Carle to beat up Gresham instead of shooting him, the suit said.

Beasley and Josey allegedly pushed Gresham down some stairs and then Carle beat him, knocking out two of his teeth.

The suit said Thomas, also an Echo manager, used his cell phone camera to record the attack and then he forwarded the video to T.I.

T.I. is being sued because as owner of Echo Studios he ?did nothing to stop or prevent the assault.? (source)

This case has more twists and turns in it than a pretzel! Am I the only one who suspects that Tip is being sued because he’s the one who’s most likely to have the dough?

This is insane….