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RAPPER Sean 'Diddy' Combs is fighting back with a $50 million lawsuit against claims a witness has tapes of him sexually assaulting celebrities and minors.
The 55-year-old has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution after his arrest last September.
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It came after a string of allegations against the rapper, producer and music executive.
Now, Combs who has been behind bars at New York’s Metropolitan Detention Centre since his arrest has filed a defamation lawsuit.
The music mogul named Nexstar Media Inc, music manager Courtney Burgess and his attorney Ariel Mitchell accusing them of "fabricating outlandish claims and stirring up baseless speculation," per Fox News.
In the suit filed on Wednesday in New York City, he accused all three defendants of fuelling the public's desire for "wild lies".
read more on diddy claims
Last year, Burgess was subpoenaed to testify against the rapper, where he claimed he had videos on almost a dozen flash drives showing Combs' alleged sex tapes.
The videos allegedly show male and female celebrities as well as minors.
He claimed to have been given the tapes by the late model and actor Kim Porter, the mother of Combs' four children.
Combs' lawsuit alleges that Burgess "falsely claimed that he possessed videos of Mr Combs involved in the sexual assault of celebrities and minors."
It added that the videos do not exist and that Burgess continued to repeat these false claims which were then shared by Nexstar's company NewsNation.
"Thus, Burgess' baseless lies were rebroadcast on social and traditional media platforms that reach millions of viewers in the United States and Abroad," the suit alleged.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is charged with sex trafficking as federal indictment is unsealed after his arrest in New York City
Burgess's attorney, Mitchell, who is also representing alleged victims of Combs, told NewsNation that one of the videos contained a male celebrity who is "more high-profile" than the rapper.
She said: "I can verify that this exists — that it's real and that the other person in the video is very visible.
"There's no question of if it's that person in the video."
'OUTRAGEOUS LIES'
Combs' bombshell lawsuit further accuses the attorney of knowing "her client's claims were false or at a minimum was utterly reckless in disregarding their falsity."
It continued: "Because no such tapes exist, and because Mitchell never saw any video depicting Mr. Combs sexually abusing anyone, adult or minor, Mitchell’s many false assertions that Burgess possessed such videos were either knowingly blatant falsehoods or recklessly false statements made as the direct result of Mitchell’s inexcusable failure to investigate her client’s outrageous lies."
The actions of NewsNation, Burgess, and Mitchell, "have caused profound reputational and economic injury and severe prejudice to Mr. Combs," the suit claimed.
As a result, the disgraced musician is seeking $50 million in damages.
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What happened during Sean Combs' 'freak offs'?
Sean Combs' infamous drug-fueled freak offs, first revealed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura's lawsuit in November 2023, have become a central narrative of the indictment, which alleges:
- The music mogul "manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers."
- Freak offs "occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers."
- Combs "distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant."
- He and the victims "typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use" after the freak offs.
- Cops "seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant" from his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
- Combs "hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times, by their hair," during and separate from the freak offs, which "often resulted in injuries that took days or weeks to heal."
- He also used the "sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings" that he made during freak offs as "collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims."
Burgess claims that the alleged tapes are no in the possession of law enforcement after they were seized from his home with Mitchell adding that her client handed over all drives to the federal government.
Combs' lawsuit says these claims are "completely false" and that "no such video was ever turned over the the government because no such video exists."
LAWYERS LOCK HORNS
The rapper's lawyer Erica Wolff told Fox News Digital: "Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is taking a stand against the malicious falsehoods that have been fabricated and amplified by individuals seeking to profit at his expense."
"These defendants have wilfully fabricated and disseminated outrageous lies with reckless disregard for the truth.
"Their falsehoods have poisoned public perception and contaminated the jury pool.
"This complaint should serve as a warning that such intentional falsehoods, which undermine Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial, will no longer be tolerated."
But Mitchell has hit back at the move telling TMZ it is "a pathetic ploy to silence victims and people who stand up for victims."
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She added that she "looks forward to counter suing" not only punishing the rapper but also his legal team who "filed this pathetic lawsuit for this frivolous and meritless filing."
The rapper's trial is set to begin on May 5 and if found guilty, he could get a life sentence.
Combs continues to maintain his innocence against all charges and will remain behind bars until his trial after prosecutors objected to the star’s third bail bid.
A bombshell Channel 4 documentary is set to add to the so-called "media frenzy" as the television channel joins forces with Lion TV for the series Diddy: In Plain Sight.
The show is set to go over all charges lodged against the rapper and see more people speak up and give their testimony.
A TV insider said: "It will no doubt produce some very shocking revelations."
It is expected to air later this year and follows an announcement by Netflix that it has also been making a documentary about the fallen star, titled Diddy Do It?
The Sun has reached out to Combs' lawyer, Mitchell, Burgess and Nexstar Media Group Inc. for comment.
Combs' downfall
By The U.S. Sun's Senior Reporter Forrest McFarland, who has been reporting on Combs' legal battles for years
BEFORE Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest, it had been highly speculated that the rap star would find himself in custody after he was repeatedly hit with disturbing accusations - and had two of his mansions raided by the feds.
His mounting legal troubles finally came to a head on September 17, when he was charged with three federal counts, including sex trafficking, for allegedly forcing victims to take part in drug-fueled sex parties he called "Freak Offs."
Hours before his arrest, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the feds investigating Combs were secretly liaising with Tupac Shakur murder prosecutors on gangland activities.
The development also came after Combs was named 77 times in documents submitted by prosecutors in the Tupac murder case.
Aside from the Tupac probe, Combs was already facing a slew of lawsuits, including one he settled with his ex, Cassie Ventura, after she accused him of rape and abuse.
Disturbing hotel surveillance video from 2016 showed Combs chasing Cassie down and then punching, kicking, and beating her in a hallway.
Two months earlier, in March 2024, two of Combs' mansions were raided by federal investigators, who seized three AR-15s, drugs, and 1,000 bottles of lube which were part of his "Freak Off" supplies.
In addition to his federal criminal charges, Combs also faces a handful of lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and sex trafficking dating back to the early 1990s.
Music producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones filed one suit in February 2024, claiming Combs forced him to hire sex workers and participate in sex acts while he worked on his latest album.
Combs has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the federal sex trafficking charges against him, but his battle is far from over.
He faces life in prison if he's convicted on all counts.
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