Sean “Diddy Combs” has made a rare legal move as he fights dozens of sexual assault lawsuits. He will be going to trial soon for allegedly running a “criminal organization” that included sex trading.
Combs claimed in a suit filed Wednesday in New York Federal Court that a man had defamed him by testifying in front of the grand jury in Combs’ federal criminal trial.
In the lawsuit, Courtney Burgess was named as a defendant, along with Burgess’s attorney Ariel Mitchell, and NewsNation the broadcaster who aired a conversation between the two in October. Burgess claimed in public that he had videos purporting to show Combs sexually abusing minors including celebrities.
In a press release, Erica Wolff said that Combs was taking a stand to combat the malicious lies that were fabricated by those who wanted to profit from his situation.
These defendants have fabricated and spread outrageous lies, with a reckless disregard for truth. The statement said that their falsehoods had poisoned the public perception and contaminated jury pools. This complaint should serve to warn that falsehoods like these, which undercut Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial, won’t be tolerated.
TMZ reported the news first.
Combs, who has been denied bail multiple times, is currently in prison and will be tried for sex trafficking and racketeering on May 5. Combs has maintained his innocence despite more than 20 civil lawsuits filed against him in the last year. These cases accuse him of rape and trafficking, as well as sexual abuse between the years 1990 to 2024.
Diddy seeks $50 million in defamation lawsuit
Combs’ suit alleges that there are “no tapes” of Combs sexually abusing people during his “freak-offs”, making the defendant’s claims “false and defamatory.”
Combs is seeking damages of $50 million and claims Burgess’ and Mitchell’s claims that they had “freak-off” footage have “poisoned” the minds of those who may serve on his jury at trial.
The lawsuit states, “The unrelenting negative publicity and threatening posts on social media resulting from the Defendants’ lying have caused and continue to cause severe reputational damage to Mr. Combs.”
Ashleigh Banfield, the host of NewsNation’s “Banfield” in October, said Burgess had recently testified to a grand jury. He claimed to have received eleven flash drives belonging to Combs’ late ex-girlfriend Kim Porter. The drives allegedly contained eight video clips showing celebrities as victims of sexual crimes. Grand jury proceedings are confidential by law. However, a witness can discuss their testimony publicly.
Combs’ Suit also mentioned Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, which was released on Jan. 14. Mitchell said that “Mitchell repeated the known lies” regarding the “freak-off” footage in this film.
“Defendants did not have a good faith basis to claim that Burgess had videos of Mr. Combs sexually assaulting anyone.” Burgess deliberately made up the videos, and told hideous liars about Mr. Combs. Mitchell and NewsNation knew Burgess was lying or did not make any effort to verify it.
Combs has pleaded “unambiguously and emphatically” not guilty of federal charges for racketeering, sex trafficking, and other crimes. He is also preparing to challenge the evidence presented by the government at trial.
The filing also states: “Mr. Combs believes in the integrity and fairness of the legal system, and is confident that the jury will acquit”
