Sean “Diddy” Combs may be counting down the days until his federal sex crime trial in May, but it appears he’s scored a rare legal win in a different area before he has his day in court. But he still can’t celebrate just yet and we’ll tell you why.
On Monday, a New York judge decided to dismiss partial claims lobbed against the disgraced hip-hop mogul by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones back in February 2024. The bombshell sexual assault lawsuit was one of the first that came out against Diddy that triggered his eventual downfall.
In the suit, Jones made a myriad of horrendous accusations against the Bad Boy producer including, but not limited to: sexual harassment, drugging, violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
Diddy, his company Combs Global; his son Justin Combs; his chief of staff Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam were all named as defendants in the suit.
Now however, per PEOPLE, it was revealed that the judge decided to dismiss Jones’ claims of RICO violations against Diddy and the rest of the defendants—signaling a rare, major win for the heaviest charge of them all. The TVPA violations were also dropped against Combs Global, but Diddy and Khorram still face those charges. The judge also dismissed Jones’ claims of emotional distress and breach of contract. But Diddy will still face charges of sexual assault and the “premises liability claim” which argues that Jones was sexually assaulted multiple times on Diddy’s property.
Additionally, the judge also issued a warning against Jones’ lawyer Tyrone Blackburn and his “unsettling” conduct.
“Blackburn’s filings are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel,” the judge wrote.
But Blackburn remains unfazed.
“We view this as a win,” Blackburn said in a statement to USA Today on Tuesday. “Defendants wanted a total dismissal and they failed to get it. [Combs and Khorram] “do not want me to do discovery...I know where all of the bodies are buried and I have a HUGE shovel. Time to start digging!”