Diddy Sues for $50M Over Alleged Fake Sex Tape Claims
Sean “Diddy” Combs has filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Courtney Burgess, her lawyer Ariel Mitchell, and Nextstar Media Group, the parent company of the NewsNation television network. According to PEOPLE, Combs’ legal team filed the suit on Wednesday, January 22, in New York’s Southern District Court. The lawsuit claims the defendants intentionally spread false information about him for financial benefit and accuses NewsNation of broadcasting these allegations without proper fact-checking. Combs alleges this caused significant harm to his reputation and finances and jeopardized his right to a fair trial.
Combs, is currently in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, awaiting trial on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and facilitating prostitution. He has denied these accusations.
According to The New York Times, the lawsuit alleges Burgess claimed to have videos showing Combs involved in sexual assaults on celebrities and minors. According to the complaint, Burgess and Mitchell shared these allegations with various news outlets, including NewsNation. Combs’ lawyers argue that the tapes Burgess mentioned don’t exist, calling her claims either “blatant falsehoods” or “recklessly false statements.”
Burgess also allegedly said Kim Porter, Combs’ late ex-partner and the mother of four of his children, gave her a copy of a memoir and videos showing Combs assaulting intoxicated celebrities and minors. Combs’ legal team insists these claims are entirely false, stating Burgess has no connection to him or his family. Combs’ lawyer, Erica Wolff, previously described the supposed memoir as “fake,” “offensive,” and an attempt to exploit a tragedy. Combs’ children also denied the memoir’s legitimacy before it was removed from Amazon.
The lawsuit further accuses Mitchell of filing multiple lawsuits against Combs, including one from an adult entertainer who alleged sex trafficking. However, Combs’ legal team claims Mitchell has not served these lawsuits but has frequently discussed them in the media.
The outlet reports that court documents also cite a NewsNation segment from late September, where Mitchell reportedly claimed tapes of Combs in compromising situations were being circulated in Hollywood. The lawsuit states NewsNation’s host supported Mitchell’s claims by suggesting hidden cameras were involved, despite lacking evidence. Combs’ lawyers argue NewsNation failed to investigate or contact his representatives before airing the allegations.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims Burgess and Mitchell made similar accusations outside the courthouse during Combs’ grand jury hearing for his sex crimes case. Burgess served as a witness in that hearing and allegedly continued to spread false claims about possessing incriminating videos.
Mitchell also appeared in Peacock’s Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, where she allegedly described Combs as “a man who has done awful things to hundreds, maybe thousands of people,” according to the court documents.
