A judge has granted and denied charges brought against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a $30 million lawsuit from former producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones alleging sexual assault.
Jones initially filed his suit against Combs in New York in Feb. 2024, stating that Combs made unwanted sexual advances and forced him to hire sex workers and engage in relations with them. Jones named Combs as well as a “RICO enterprise” consisting of his son Justin; his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge; former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam; and numerous record labels and Jane and John Does. He then refiled several amended complaints in the months that followed.
But in an order filed earlier today and reviewed by Variety, Judge J. Paul Oetken granted and denied parts of Combs’ Aug. 2024 motion to dismiss the case. The order also reprimanded Jones’ attorney Tyrone Blackburn and described his conduct regarding the motion as “unsettling.”
The judge dismissed the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charge against Combs and Khorram in the case, failing to find a viable argument in Jones’ opposition brief and that “it should not be necessary to root around a 402-paragraph complaint to contrive novel arguments on Jones’s behalf.” He also dismissed negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims; breach of contract claims; and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) claim against Combs Global. The TVPA claims against Combs and Khorram were granted, and the judge declined to dismiss sexual assault and liability claims.
The motion also issued a stern warning to Blackburn, stating that his filings “are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel.” The judge referenced Blackburn’s opposition brief and the complaint as full of “irrelevant insults, misstatements, and exaggerations,” stating that any further misconduct may lead to sanctions or referral for discipline.
In a statement provided to Variety, Blackburn commented: “A win is a win. Play time is over. Now, it is time for discovery.”
Jones filed the suit in Feb. 2024 after producing six songs on Combs’ Grammy-nominated “The Love Album: Off the Grid” that released in Sept. 2023. He claims that Combs acquired, used and distributed ecstasy, cocaine and other illicit drugs; displayed illegal firearms; and laced alcoholic beverages provided to minors and sex workers at his various homes, among other allegations.
After Jones filed two amended complaints, Combs filed his own motion to dismiss in Aug. 2024. “Jones’ Second Amended Complaint is his third attempt to dress up a run of the mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy,” read the motion. “Running to nearly 100 pages, it includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images. Yet, despite all its hyperbole and lurid theatrics, the SAC fails to state a single viable claim against any of the Combs Defendants.”
From Variety US