(NewsNation) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has pushed back against claims of abuse made by music producer Lil Rod in a new court filing, saying his former employee sued him in an attempt to get a large payout.
On Monday, Combs’ defense team filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought forth by music producer Rodney Jones known professionally as Lil Rod, saying it was “replete with legally meaningless allegations and blatant falsehoods.”
Jones’ attorney filed a lawsuit in New York federal court in February saying Combs sexually assaulted him and forced him to have sex with prostitutes from September 2022 to November 2023.
The suit called Combs’ businesses a “RICO enterprise” that “failed to adequately monitor, warn, or supervise” the actions of Combs, his son and his chief of staff. A RICO enterprise is any individual or group that acts together to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Jones’ lawyer amended his lawsuit in March adding several more allegations including that Combs was involved in a shooting at a recording studio in 2022 and also that actor Cuba Gooding Jr. groped him while on Combs’ yacht in 2023.
Jones is seeking $30 million in damages.
In his motion, Combs’ attorneys stated that Jones’ suit was an “attempt to dress up a run-of-the-mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy” that “includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images.”
“Yet, despite all its hyperbole and lurid theatrics, [Jones’ lawsuit] fails to state a single viable claim against any of the Combs Defendants,” the filing stated.
The motion also claims that the suit’s “true purpose is to generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement.”
The filing adds that it is “no surprise” given that Jones’ attorney Tyrone Blackburn was referred to a grievance committee earlier this year.
A judge referred a concern against Blackburn to the Southern District of New York’s Grievances Committee in April, the motion says, after what appeared to be a “pattern” of cases with apparent jurisdiction issues.
Those were not connected to Combs’ suit.
In a statement to NewsNation, Blackburn said, “This is nothing more than a billing exercise by Sean Combs’ latest set of lawyers. It is a weak attempt to fill their pockets before he is indicted, and they decide to haul a–, just like his five previous lawyers did.”
“Take notice that there is no sworn affidavit from Sean Combs and no defense from Justin Combs. Rodney Jones filed a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury to the truth of the matter asserted in the filing. Can Sean Combs do the same?” Blackburn added.
Combs’ lawyer Erica Wolff said in a statement Monday that the lawsuit against her client is “pure fiction — a shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement.“
“We look forward to proving — in a court of law — that all of Mr. Jones’s claims are made up and must be dismissed,” Wolff added.
Combs, whose homes were raided in a federal sex trafficking investigation, is facing a mounting list of lawsuits that allege abuse and sexual assault by multiple victims spanning over 30 years.
A number of his accusers say they were teenagers when they were allegedly assaulted by him. Several attest in their lawsuits he had rage-filled violent tendencies.
He is also currently the subject of a federal investigation by the Southern District of New York.