Sean “Diddy” Combs isn’t the only one dealing with legal issues. The hip-hop mogul’s mother, Janice Combs, is also having to fight serious allegations after one of the co-founders of Bad Boy Entertainment is accusing the 84-year-old of fraud.
On Wednesday, Kirk Burrowes, the former president of Bad Boy, filed a lawsuit against Combs, claiming that she secretly gained control of his 25 percent stake in Bad Boy after her son forced him to sign over his share after he was physically threatened, according to Rolling Stone.
Although Burrowes lost his stake in the company more than two decades ago, he learned about Janice’s role in the alleged fraud recently. He claimed an investigation last year revealed evidence that she “unlawfully” gained control of his shares.
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The new lawsuit filed Wednesday by lawyer Tyrone Blackburn claims Burrowes was “ruthlessly betrayed” by Janice when she allegedly conspired with her son to consolidate power and exclude him from the company that he helped start. Janice, identified in the lawsuit as Janice Smalls, purportedly shifted blame entirely onto her son as she remained in contact with Burrowes over the ensuing years, his lawsuit claims.
“Smalls carefully maintained a facade of integrity, portraying herself as an innocent bystander while orchestrating plaintiff’s financial and professional downfall behind the scenes,” the 53-page filing obtained by Rolling Stone states. “Through false assurances and calculated deceit, defendant Smalls led plaintiff to believe that she had no knowledge of the fraudulent transfer, effectively suppressing any opportunity for plaintiff to reclaim his rightful stake in [Bad Boy].”
Burrowes claims that years after he lost his stake in Bad Boy, Janice continued to tell him that she would help him gain it back. However, she never did, and he was instead left “destitute,” according to Rolling Stone.
Burrowes has previously filed a lawsuit that is related to his loss in ownership. In 2003, he accused Diddy and attorney Kenneth Meiselas of threatening him with a baseball bat in 1996 to sign over his shares. He claims he lost $25 million as a result.
The suit was later thrown out due to the statute of limitations.