Diddy Scores Major Win As Judge Dismisses Five Charges Against Rapper In $30M Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Yahoo

25-03-2025

Sean "Diddy" Combs now has fewer charges to face in the $30 million lawsuit filed against him by former associate Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones.
In a ruling on Monday, the presiding judge deemed some of the charges, including a RICO claim, legally deficient.
He also explained the reason behind his decision and gave a strong reprimand to Lil Rod's lawyer for his underhanded legal tactics.
On Monday, Diddy gained another win in his ongoing legal battles since his arrest in September last year.
The rapper was sued by a former associate, Rodney' Lil Rod' Jones, who claimed that he was groomed, abused, and exploited by the embattled rapper during the time that they worked together.
Some of the charges that Lil Rod brought against Diddy have now been dismissed by Judge J. Paul Oetken of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in a 31-page ruling.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the judge struck out the racketeering accusation along with the breach of contract claim, which referenced Lil Rod's claims that he was stiffed on $50,000 in payment, publishing shares, and royalties for his work on Diddy's "The Love Album: Off the Grid."
Three other claims related to infliction of emotional distress were also dismissed alongside another cause of action in the suit related to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
In his ruling, Oetken extensively explained why he did not allow Lil Rod and his lawyers to move forward with the RICO charges.
"[Combs'] alleged refusal to honor the contract with Jones is not itself a RICO predicate act, even if the contract breach resulted from Jones's refusal to participate in Combs's alleged racketeering scheme," he wrote.
The judge added, "In sum, whether or not Jones has adequately alleged the existence of a RICO enterprise, he has not tied the activities of that enterprise to defendants' breach of contract, or any other' business or property' harm incurred by Jones."
Oetken went further to explain why the breach of contract charge was also dismissed, claiming that Diddy and Lil Rod had no written payment agreement that compelled the embattled rapper to pay his former associate dividends and royalties.
Following the ruling, Diddy only has to answer for claims of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and premises liability, which were all part of the initial suit.
Still, Lil Rod's lawyer, Tyrone A. Blackburn, is unfazed by these dismissals despite the implication that he likely now has a slimmer case against Diddy.
In an interview with the outlet after the ruling, he said that he respects the decision and now intends to move forward with legal discovery on the rest of the case, which also named Diddy's chief of staff, Kristina Khorram.
"We view this as a win. [The] defendants wanted a total dismissal, and they failed to get it," Blackburn told The Hollywood Reporter. "I know where all of the bodies are buried, and I have a huge shovel. Time to start digging!"
Diddy's recent court win comes after prosecutors were also ordered to reveal the name of his accusers in his ongoing federal sex crimes trial.
The names the music mogul's attorneys sought were the ones listed in the indictment brought against the music mogul in September 2024.
Although it was already clear that Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie was one of the accusers, the rest of the names were unknown to the rapper and his attorneys prior to the recent ruling.
They were only referred to as Victim 1, Victim 2, and Victim 3, with Cassie being noted as Victim 1, seemingly due to her viral assault video being a key piece of evidence in the upcoming trial.
Meanwhile, the names will remain only known to Diddy's lawyers and the prosecutors, as the judge also added an "under an Attorney's Eyes Only designation" caveat.
As for Diddy, he remains in detention at a federal facility in New York ahead of his trial in May.
During a recent court appearance, Diddy faced allegations from three new victims that he sexually abused them between 2004 to 2024, which he pleaded not guilty to.
According to the New York Post, the rapper appeared "bloated" and "old" in his tan prison jumpsuit, sporting gray hair and a gray chinstrap beard.
CBS reporter Alice Gainer also noted the rapper's aged appearance, writing on X, "Combs walked into courtroom sporting grey hair and a grey beard..."
This development comes as no surprise, as the Bad Boy Records founder has been locked behind bars at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September arrest.