Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Lawsuit Against NBCUniversal Regarding “Bad Boy” Documentary Dismissed by Judge
- Chinyere Ibeh
- 18 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The music mogul’s lawsuit didn’t make it past a New York Supreme Court judge, another blow to the now-imprisoned musician.
Sean “Diddy” Combs finds his $100 million lawsuit against both NBCUniversal and Peacock about the documentary, titled “Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy,” thrown out by New York Supreme Court Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond.
The network argued that Combs admitted in court that he was the one responsible for ruining his own career, noting that damage was already done prior to the documentary’s release. Lawyers for the network celebrate the decision as a win for freedom of speech.
“This is an important ruling that protects filmmakers and journalists by dismissing this meritless complaint, as barred by New York law and the First Amendment,” Theodore J. Bourtrous Jr., an attorney for NBC, told The Hollywood Reporter.
In his lawsuit, Combs claimed that the documentary portrays him as guilty of “serial murder, sexual assault and trafficking minors and extortion — knowing that there is not a shred of evidence to support them.”
The legal complaint also cited The Hollywood Reporter’s interview with the documentary’s producer, Ari Mark, as evidence of the network rushing to get it out. Mark spoke with the publication about a fast turnaround, noting that it’s important to be both fast and distinct.
“It’s really competitive, and I think that is why it wasn’t enough to be fast, it was also necessary to be distinct,” Mark said. “There’s no time, and this was an extremely fast turnaround.”
Though, Combs’ own words came back to bite him. During his October sentencing, Combs decided to speak for himself in front of the judge, his family, the press, and anyone else in the courtroom that day.
“Because of my decisions, I lost freedom,” Combs said. “I lost my career. I totally destroyed my reputation.”
NBC argued that the statement contradicted and negated Combs’ claims that the documentary damaged his reputation. Juda Engelmayer, Combs’ publicist, said in a November statement that NBC’s statement took the music mogul’s words “out of its legal context.” Engelmayer argued that Combs’ words weren’t relevant to whether the documentary met standards of accuracy and responsibility.
Despite Engelmayer’s argument and Combs’ lawsuit, Judge Perry-Bond agreed with the network as Combs failed to establish that the documentary caused reputational harm. She also noted that the documentary clearly discloses the biases of the interviewees, and included counterstatements to the alleged defamatory statements.
In her ruling, Judge Perry-Bond noted that Combs’ reputation was already “tarnished by the numerous lawsuits, domestic violence video, press coverage, and a criminal indictment prior to the documentary’s publication.”
Combs’ lawsuit focused on two aspects of the documentary: the allusions to conspiracies that he was involved in the deaths of his ex-partner Kim Porter, and Bad Boy artist Notorious B.I.G.
The music mogul isn’t done as his legal team is currently working on an appeal regarding the two counts, both transportation for the purpose of prostitution, for which he was found guilty last summer.
FULL RULING: