Sean 'Diddy' Combs ordered to pay $478,000 in defamation legal fees

Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been ordered to pay NBC $478,000 in legal fees after his defamation lawsuit was dismissed

Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been ordered to pay $478,000 in legal fees to NBC after a judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against the US television network.

According to a court order obtained by Billboard, Combs must reimburse NBC for legal costs incurred while defending against his lawsuit over the 2025 documentary The Making of a Bad Boy.

Combs sued NBC in early 2025 seeking $100 million, alleging that the documentary advanced a "false narrative" that he was involved in the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Kim Porter.

Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond dismissed the lawsuit in April under New York's anti-SLAPP statute. The judge found that NBC had followed appropriate journalistic standards by making clear that Combs denied the claims featured in the documentary.

The ruling also noted that interviewees who discussed the theories had their own biases against Combs.

New York's anti-SLAPP law allows a successful defendant to recover legal fees incurred while defending certain cases involving First Amendment-protected speech. The judge subsequently ruled that NBC was entitled to reimbursement.

However, the court reduced the amount requested by NBC's legal team. Gibson Dunn originally billed $990,000, but the judge found that the number of hours claimed was "excessive" and reduced the bill by $512,000.

The resulting award means Combs must pay $478,000 to cover NBC's legal expenses connected to the case.