Universal Music Group (UMG) and its CEO, Lucian Grainge, have been dismissed from a lawsuit that accused them of “aiding and abetting” Sean “Diddy” Combs in alleged sexual abuse. This decision follows the plaintiff’s lawyer acknowledging that the claims lacked legal foundation.
Two months ago, UMG’s legal team argued that the accusations were so baseless they intended to seek legal penalties against the accuser’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, for including them in the lawsuit. In a declaration filed on Monday, May 13, Blackburn admitted he found “no legal basis for the claims and allegations” against UMG and requested their dismissal with prejudice, preventing future refiling.
In response, UMG’s lead attorney, Donald Zakarin, agreed to drop the accusations but criticized Blackburn for initially bringing them forward. “The UMG defendants should never have been named in any of these complaints,” Zakarin stated, emphasizing that the claims were unfounded.
Blackburn declined to comment on his decision to withdraw the case, directing inquiries to Combs’ attorney and UMG.
Originally filed in late February, the lawsuit accused Combs of sexually assaulting and harassing producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones during the production of the rapper’s 2023 album, “The Love Album.” Jones’ lawsuit also implicated Grainge, UMG, and others in a broad conspiracy violating the federal RICO statute and sex trafficking laws.
UMG’s attorneys described these claims as “entirely invented by Mr. Blackburn,” asserting that the allegations were “recklessly false” and would be libelous outside of a legal complaint. They also sought sanctions against Blackburn for filing what they deemed knowingly false allegations.
Zakarin reiterated the gravity of misusing legal privileges, stating, “Mr. Blackburn has misused that license to self-promote, gratuitously, falsely, and recklessly accusing the UMG defendants of criminal behavior.”
Despite the lawsuit’s dismissal against UMG and Grainge, Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to face multiple abuse allegations, which he has strongly denied.
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