MIAMI, UNITED STATES: (FILES) Entertainer Sean “P. Diddy” Combs excites a crowd of students at a local university in Miami, Florida during a rally 28 October 2004. It was reported 16 February, 2005 that publisher Random House is suing rapper and all-around entertainment mogul Sean “P.Diddy” Combs to recover a 300,000 USD advance it paid for an autobiography that never got written. The lawsuit was filed earlier this week at the state Supreme Court in Manhattan. “Random House has seldom resorted to a legal course of action with its prospective authors who don’t write the books we have contracted for, but Mr. Sean Combs has left us no choice,” Random House publicist Tom Perry said in a statement. Perry said Combs had signed an agreement with the publisher’s Ballantine imprint in 1998 to write his autobiography, which he agreed to complete and deliver in 1999. (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
He wants to address specific allegations.
The details of the Diddy case are still being sorted out. The mogul has been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking, with a trial rumored to kick off in May 2025. According to TMZ, however, Diddy feels he hasn’t been given a fair shake. The Bad Boy founder allegedly requested that the identities of alleged victims be revealed by the prosecution. His legal team argued that knowledge of the accusers will make it easier for the allegations to be specifically addressed.
Diddy Allegedly Feels Anonymity Is Hurting His Defense
Diddy’s lawyers are instead curious in the other unnamed victims. They also voiced concern over the ways the anonymity of Diddy’s alleged victims will impact future lawsuits. They pointed to Tony Buzbee and the recent wave of lawsuits that have been filed by the lawyer’s clients. Diddy’s team argued that the anonymity of the prosecution has created a “pervasive ripple effect.” One that has resulted in a “torrent of allegations by unidentified complainants.”
This is not the first time that Diddy’s legal team has voiced concern over Buzbee. On Monday, the team criticized the lawyer’s motives. They claimed Buzbee was using the attention gained by the Diddy case to boost his own public profile. “The press conference and 1-800 number that preceded today’s barrage of filings were clear attempts to garner publicity,” they asserted to TMZ. A representative for the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been contacted by the outlet regarding the decision to reveal accuser identities. The rep made no comment.