Music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs has won a round in a defamation lawsuit he filed against lawyer Ariel Mitchell and her client Courtney Burgess, after a judge refused to dismiss the case, according to celebrity news outlet TMZ.
Burgess has claimed to possess video showing Combs sexually abusing minors and celebrities. Mitchell represents him in the dispute and had asked the court to throw out Combs's defamation claim against them.
Combs had accused Mitchell of spreading outrageous claims and baseless speculation in order to satisfy public demand, TMZ reported. The judge declined to dismiss the case, ruling that Mitchell's arguments were not convincing enough.
$100 million damages claim
The ruling was announced on September 4. Combs has also sued Burgess directly over his claims about the videos he says he possesses, seeking $100 million in damages. The lawsuit was originally filed seeking $50 million before that figure was raised.
Mitchell responded to the ruling in a statement to TMZ. She said the lawsuit was nothing more than a pathetic attempt to silence victims and the people who defend them. She said Combs had time to file lawsuits of his own but refused to accept service of the lawsuits already filed against him. She added that she was looking forward to filing a countersuit and making sure the court punished not only Combs but also the lawyers who filed what she called a baseless lawsuit with no legal merit.
Combs remains in federal custody
Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records and one of hip-hop's most prominent producers, has been held at the federal prison FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey since October 2025. He was found guilty on two counts related to transporting women across state lines for the purposes of prostitution and sexual exploitation.
According to the latest information made public, Combs is expected to be released on February 5, 2028.
