Sean “Diddy” Combs has filed a defamation lawsuit against one of his accusers, their attorney, and NewsNation. According to court records obtained by Us Weekly, Diddy, 55, submitted the lawsuit in New York on Wednesday, January 22, against Courtney Burgess and his attorney Ariel Mitchell.
Burgess had previously testified before a federal grand jury, claiming to have evidence of alleged “freak off” parties involving Diddy. The lawsuit also names Nexstar Media Inc., the company behind NewsNation.
In November 2024, both Burgess and Mitchell appeared on NewsNation’s Banfield program to discuss the accusations made against Diddy. (The music mogul has been incarcerated since September 2024 after being indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.)
The legal filing accuses Burgess and Mitchell of fabricating “outrageous lies” about Diddy in an effort to “gain social media fame, enrich themselves, and strip Mr. Combs of his reputation, livelihood, and right to a fair trial.”
Burgess had claimed during his appearance on Banfield that he possessed 11 flash drives, which allegedly contained videos featuring eight celebrities—six men and two women. He further asserted that “two to three” of these individuals were minors. In his January filing, Diddy vehemently denied these claims, asserting that no such tapes exist.
Currently incarcerated as he awaits his trial, which is scheduled to begin on May 5, Diddy is seeking at least $50 million in damages, including punitive damages, for the harm caused by the “false and defamatory statements.”
The court documents state that the “malicious lies” spread by Burgess, Mitchell, and NewsNation have caused significant damage to Diddy’s reputation and finances. In addition to the online backlash, Diddy claims the “intentionally false and defamatory statements” have poisoned the minds of potential jurors for his upcoming trial.
Diddy’s attorney, Erica Wolff, issued a statement saying, “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.
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.”
Diddy’s legal issues began last year, when he was indicted by a grand jury in September 2024. He was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. A 14-page indictment accused Diddy of “abusing, threatening, and coercing women and others around him” for decades at his notorious “Freak-Off” parties.
Diddy has consistently denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He remains in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, after being denied bail in four separate appeals.