Sean “Diddy” Combs is asking a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by producer Rodney ‘Lil’ Rod’ Jones, who has accused him of extortion.
In court documents filed on Monday (August 25) in the Southern District of New York, Diddy, along with his companies Love Records, Inc. and Combs Global, argued that Jones’ lawsuit is an attempt to reframe a typical business dispute as a sensational criminal case.
Diddy claims that the lawsuit, which he describes as containing “hyperbole and lurid theatrics,” fails to present any credible claims against him or his businesses.
Jones, who worked with Diddy from September 2022 to November 2023 on The Love Album, originally filed the lawsuit in February.
He alleged that Diddy sexually harassed him, drugged him, and threatened him with violence. Jones also claimed he did not receive payment for his work on the album, despite it being nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album.
Diddy’s filing counters that Jones is trying to leverage the lawsuit for personal gain, pointing to a video posted on X where Jones and rapper Uncle Murda appear to mock the situation.
Diddy’s legal team argues that Jones has not demonstrated any damage to his “business or property” from alleged racketeering activities or provided evidence of sexual assault, emotional distress, or trafficking. Erica Wolff, Diddy’s lawyer, called Jones’s lawsuit “a shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement” and expressed confidence in proving the claims are baseless.
Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, dismissed Diddy’s motion as a “delay tactic,” accusing Diddy’s legal team of trying to profit before an expected indictment. Blackburn described the filing as a “billing exercise” and criticized the attorneys for potentially abandoning Diddy as others have in the past.
