Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a motion Monday seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former employee, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, which accuses Combs of sexual harassment and drugging and threatening Jones.
According to Combs’ motion, Jones’ lawsuit, which was filed in February and seeks $30 million in damages, was meant to “generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement.”
In the lawsuit, Jones accused the rapper and record executive of sexual assault and harassment from 2022 to 203 and for covering up a shooting.
Combs’ motion to dismiss states that Jones’ lawsuit does not include specific examples of the alleged sexual harassment and drugging.
“Jones claims he was repeatedly ‘groped’ and ‘touched’ by Mr. Combs, but fails to allege the specific date, location, or details of any such incident,” the motion says.
Jones’ attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn said in a statement to HuffPost that the motion is a “billing exercise” by Combs’ lawyers.
“It is a weak attempt to fill their pockets before he is indicted, and they decide to haul ass, just like his five previous lawyers did.”
Blackburn added, “If their client does not engage in salacious behavior, I would not have anything salacious to file. I pick my clients; I do not pick their facts.”
“We look forward to proving — in a court of law — that all of Mr. Jones’s claims are made-up and must be dismissed,” the attorney, Erica Wolff, said.
In November, Combs was accused of sexual assault in separate lawsuits from four women, including his ex-girlfriend Cassie. Cassie, a singer, accused Combs of raping and abusing her and forcing her to have sex with sex workers while Combs watched. The abuse led Cassie to a drug and alcohol addiction, according to the lawsuit.
Liza Gardner accused Combs and singer Aaron Hall of raping her and her friend in the early ’90s. Joi Dickerson-Neal accused Combs of raping her and filming it and showing others the video. Another woman identified as Jane Doe accused Combs and others of gang-raping and sex-trafficking her when she was 17 years old.
“Enough is enough,” Combs wrote in a December Instagram post. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
In March, several properties in Los Angeles and Miami that are linked to Combs were raided by officers from Homeland Security Investigations. The raids were reportedly related to an investigation of suspected sex trafficking.