Lawyers for Universal Music Group (UMG) are seeking to speed up the dismissal of the record label from a lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
The suit, filed by music producer Rodney Jones, originally named UMG and its Motown Records division as defendants but has since amended the complaint.
“The motion to amend should be denied as futile, so the motion to dismiss can be promptly addressed,” attorney Donald Zakarin said.
UMG denies any involvement or ownership of Combs’ label.
Executives have submitted statements disputing Jones’ claims.
“The plaintiff’s attorney appears that he is advancing claims on behalf of his client that are demonstrably inaccurate – at least from the perspective of the filings from the defense,” attorney David Gelman said. “If true, that is not only a problem from the perspective of the viability of his application but also from an ethical point of view.”
“His comments are not ‘professional’ in my opinion and are more in line with a pro-wrestler,” he added. “The optics are bad. He really needs to do his talking in court and not online. And those bad optics play into the claim that he is advancing a false narrative to generate media attention.”
Meanwhile, experts say the FBI search warrants of Combs’ homes indicate the government believes it has probable cause for indictment.
Lawyers for the record label named in a bombshell lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually abusing a male music producer have asked a federal judge to speed up the process of dismissing their clients from the case as legal pressure mounts against the mogul himself.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York doesn’t go to a federal judge and get multiple search warrants unless they think they have probable cause to get a grand jury indictment,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said. “I think he’s done.”
“The reason that Homeland Security got involved is because something came across that they had to get involved,” former NYPD intelligence unit member Derrick Parker said.
“He was quiet for a while, but the problem you have is that now all these things are all coming to light,” he added. “All these people that have past histories with him, they’re all coming out of the woodwork.”
Several other lawsuits have also been filed against Combs alleging sexual abuse and rape.
While Combs denies wrongdoing, the mounting legal issues come amid a federal investigation into the high-profile music mogul.
“Lil Rod (Rodney Jones) is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday,” Combs’ lawyer, Shawn Holley said. “His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.”
