By Alice Redpill
In a rare move, Sean “Diddy” Combs has initiated a legal counterattack. He faces numerous sexual assault lawsuits and gears up for a trial over allegations of running a “criminal enterprise” linked to sex trafficking.
In a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court on Wednesday. Combs claims he was defamed by a man who purportedly testified before a grand jury in his federal criminal case. The lawsuit is named Courtney Burgess. Burgess’ attorney Ariel Mitchell, and NewsNation, the broadcaster that aired an interview featuring both individuals in October. Burgess has publicly stated that he possesses videos allegedly showing Combs sexually assaulting minors, including celebrities.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is standing up against the malicious fabrications propagated by those looking to profit at his expense,” said Erica Wolff, one of Combs’ attorneys, in a statement provided to USA TODAY.
“These defendants have intentionally concocted and spread outrageous lies with blatant disregard for the truth. Their falsehoods have poisoned public perception and tainted the jury pool,” the statement continued. “This lawsuit serves as a warning that such deliberate fabrications, which undermine Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial, will no longer be accepted.”
Combs’ lawsuit asserts that there are “no such tapes” showing him engaging in any misconduct at his so-called “freak offs,” labeling the defendants’ assertions as “false and defamatory.”
The hip-hop mogul is seeking $50 million in damages, arguing that Burgess and Mitchell’s claims about having “freak off” footage have “poisoned the minds” of potential jurors for his upcoming trial.
“The relentless wave of negative publicity and menacing social media posts stemming from the defendants’ lies have inflicted, and will continue to inflict, severe damage to Mr. Combs’s reputation,” the lawsuit states. During a recent appearance on NewsNation’s “Banfield,” Burgess revealed that he had testified before a grand jury and claimed to possess 11 flash drives belonging to Combs’ late ex-girlfriend Kim Porter. Which allegedly contained eight videos of celebrities being victimized. By law, grand jury proceedings must remain confidential. Although a witness is free to discuss their testimony publicly.
Additionally, Combs’ lawsuit also brings up the Peacock documentary “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy,” released on January 14, stating that “Mitchell echoed these known lies” regarding the “freak off” footage. “The defendants had no reasonable basis to assert that Burgess possessed videos of Mr. Combs involved in any sexual assault. Burgess deliberately fabricated these videos and spun ugly lies about Mr. Combs, while Mitchell and NewsNation either knew Burgess’s claims were false or failed to verify their truth,” the lawsuit claims.
Combs, who pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges in September, “firmly and unequivocally denies the accusations against him and is preparing to challenge the government’s evidence” during the trial.
Burgess claims that before Kim Porter died in 2018, he got eleven USB drives including these films from her and Diddy. The tapes supposedly show eight celebrities—six men and two women—along with “two to three” minors at the time. Burgess has said the actors in the videos seemed under the effect of drugs, implying they might have been “victims” instead of eager subjects.
Apart from the videos, Burgess claims to have an unedited manuscript of Kim Porter’s memoir Kim’s Lost Words: A Journey for Justice from the Other Side. According to the memoir, Porter had apparently accumulated over the years hidden truths and exposed secret wrongdoings.
More revelations are sure to surface as the questions continue to pile. Stay locked into the site. So you never miss a Diddy update.
