Sean 'Diddy' Combs has filed a $50 million (£41 million) defamation lawsuit against a man who claims to possess sex tapes involving the rapper and other celebrities.
The lawsuit targets Courtney Burgess, who is currently in prison awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and his attorney, Ariel Mitchell. Combs alleges that the pair have falsely and publicly claimed to have videos showing him “involved in the sexual assault of celebrities and minors.”
In the legal filing, Combs vehemently denies the existence of such tapes, accusing the defendants of fabricating the allegations for attention and monetary gain. The rapper further contends that their public interviews perpetuating these claims have unfairly tainted the jury pool for his upcoming trial.
"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," Combs' attorney, Erica Wolff, said in a statement. "These defendants have willfully 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."
Burgess previously appeared on true crime podcasts and NewsNation, a cable network, where he repeated the claims. He alleged in October that he testified before a grand jury considering additional charges against Combs. Burgess further claimed the tapes were given to him by Combs' late ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter.
Responding to the lawsuit, Burgess told The New York Times, "I'm standing by my word. He had a lot of nerve to want to sue somebody when he's going to rot in jail for all of the things he's done."
In addition to the criminal charges for which he faces trial in May, the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is dealing with more than 30 civil sexual assault lawsuits, all of which he has denied.
As part of this new legal action, filed in New York on Wednesday, Combs has also sued Nexstar Media Group, the parent company of NewsNation, for airing the sex tape claims without conducting what he alleges was proper due diligence.
