Diddy sues Courtney Burgess and others in $50M defamation lawsuit over alleged sex tapes

Sean “Diddy” Combs has filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell, and Nexstar Media Inc., the company that owns NewsNation.  

The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and obtained by Page Six, alleges that Burgess fabricated accusations about Combs, which Mitchell supported and NewsNation aired.  

In the fall of 2024, following his testimony before a grand jury, Burgess appeared on NewsNation, reiterating his claim of possessing nearly a dozen flash drives containing alleged sex tapes involving the incarcerated rapper.  

The recordings reportedly depict male and female celebrities, as well as some minors, all seemingly under the influence.  

Mitchell stated that one of the male celebrities in the videos is “more high-profile” than Combs.  

“I can verify that it exists — that it’s real and that the other person in the video is very visible,” she insisted. “There’s no question of if it’s that person in the video.”  

Combs’ lawsuit claims that Burgess “falsely claimed that he possessed videos of Mr. Combs involved in the sexual assault of celebrities and minors.” It further accuses Burgess of spreading these false claims widely, including to prominent media outlets like NewsNation, which "recklessly repeated and amplified his lies as if they were true."  

“Thus, Burgess’ baseless lies were rebroadcast on social and traditional media platforms that reach millions of viewers in the United States and abroad.”  

The suit also accuses Mitchell of being aware that her client’s claims were false or, at the very least, acting recklessly by ignoring their inaccuracy.  

The complaint continues, “Because no such tapes exist, and because Mitchell never saw any video depicting Mr. Combs sexually abusing anyone, adult or minor, Mitchell’s many false assertions that Burgess possessed such videos were either knowingly blatant falsehoods or recklessly false statements made as the direct result of Mitchell’s inexcusable failure to investigate her client’s outrageous lies.”  

According to the lawsuit, Burgess, Mitchell, and NewsNation have caused significant harm to Combs’ reputation, financial standing, and overall credibility.  

In a statement to Page Six, Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff said that the complaint “should serve as a warning that such intentional falsehoods, which undermine Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial, will no longer be tolerated.”