Diddy is taking his legal battle public with a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Nexstar Media’s NewsNation network, attorney Ariel Mitchell, and Courtney Burgess.
The lawsuit, filed August 6 in the U.S. District Court, accuses the trio of intentionally fabricating and promoting damaging claims about him.
The complaint states that Burgess allegedly claimed to possess videos showing the music mogul committing sexual assault against both celebrities and minors. According to the filing, NewsNation aired and repeated these allegations “as if they were true” despite allegedly knowing they were “probably false.”
The lawsuit also calls out Mitchell, Burgess’ legal counsel, for repeating those accusations on national television.
Mitchell reportedly stated that a police report backed allegations that Diddy raped a woman in March 2018. However, court documents assert no such report exists. Instead, the actual police report filed by Mitchell’s client accused two white men, and those claims were deemed “unsubstantiated” by law enforcement.
“This case is about Defendants’ willful schemes to fabricate and broadcast outrageous lies concerning Mr. Combs and then to leverage those falsehoods to enrich themselves, gain social media fame, promote their brands, strip Mr. Combs of his reputation and livelihood, and jeopardize his right to a fair trial,” the complaint reads.
The lawsuit alleges that the false statements reached millions of viewers and online users, creating what Diddy describes as “made-up evidence” that damaged his career and public image. “The torrent of lies, and the immeasurable harm and prejudice it has caused to Mr. Combs must be remedied,” the filing states.
Diddy is demanding a jury trial and seeking damages of no less than $100 million in an effort to restore his name and hold the defendants accountable.
