Sean “Diddy” Combs is doubling down on his previously filed lawsuit against a man and his attorney, both of whom he says in an amended legal filing submitted this week, made defamatory comments about the rap mogul’s alleged involvement with sex parties attended by both celebrities and underage individuals.
Combs has amended the complaint, originally filed in New York federal court in January as he was awaiting his sex trafficking and racketeering trial in the same venue, to seek $100 million in damages from the plaintiffs: Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell and NewsNation parent company Nexstar. The suit points to an October interview with Burgess and a September interview with Mitchell in which the two discuss alleged video footage Burgess states he possesses showing Combs allegedly sexually assaulting celebrities, some of whom appear underage. One interview saw Burgess present still images, allegedly from the videos, in which Justin Bieber was shown kissing an unidentified male.
In the amended complaint, filed Monday, Aug. 11 in New York’s Southern District, Combs is now seeking no less than $100 million in damages, for the “severe reputational harm” caused by Burgess’ “outlandish claims,” which Combs’ attorneys allege culminated in a “media frenzy” against the mogul.
The allegations, aired on NewsNation over multiple interviews, also included an assertion from Burgess that Combs’ late ex-wife Kim Porter, with whom he had four kids, gave him a copy of her memoir to him and tapes of the alleged celebrity sexual assaults before she died in 2018.
The interviews fueled the still-ongoing frenzy of misinformation about the rap mogul that began following his September federal indictment, arrest and ongoing incarceration at a Brooklyn federal lock-up. Speculation about celebrity involvement in Combs’ so-called “freak-off” parties continues to run wild as rumors swirl of who knows what and was present at the alleged events. At Combs’ trial, the actual “freak-off” events were described as drug-fueled sexual encounters with his girlfriend and hired male sex workers, which Combs would film while masturbating and directing the actions of others.
“In this pitiful spectacle, all pretense of objectivity has been abandoned, as a global audience feasts at the all-you-can-eat buffet of wild lies and conspiracy theories,” the lawsuit states. “Mitchell and Burgess are among the worst perpetrators in this offensive scenario.
“They eagerly court every opportunity to broadcast blatant falsehoods, pretending they have proof that Mr. Combs engaged in heinous acts, knowing that no such proof exists,” Combs’ team states.
Burgess, who was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors to testify in front of a grand jury considering additional charges against the rap mogul, was asked in a NewsNation interview if the alleged image of Bieber is “legit,” to which he responded, “Yes, yes, definitely.” He also said on NewsNation that of the eight celebrities seen in the footage, “two or three” appeared to be minors, according to the earlier lawsuit.
NewsNation is accused in the complaint of “lend(ing) its credibility to and amplify(ing) defendant Burgess and Mitchell’s lies, giving them a mainstream media platform to malign (Combs) for defendants’ collective profit.”
A message sent to Mitchell by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday did not receive an immediate response. An email sent to NewsNation also did not receive a reply right away on Tuesday.
In September, Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. During his eight-week trial, details emerged about his non-traditional sex life as prosecutors painted a picture of a network of employees they claimed worked to sexually exploit Combs’ exes; the jury ultimately did not buy prosecutors’ narrative and found him guilty only of the lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Since the verdict was read last month, Combs’ attorneys have worked to have him released to his Miami home until his sentencing on Oct. 3. This has apparently also involved discussions with the Trump administration regarding a potential pardon for Combs. Since the trial concluded, lead prosecutor Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director and Trump foil James Comey, was fired by the administration from her lead prosecutor role for the Southern District of New York.