With Sean “Diddy” Combs facing a slew of felonies, his lawyers are doing everything they can to take some weight off their already hefty load. In their newest attempt, Combs’ attorneys are going after Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee with major allegations.
Buzbee is representing dozens of people accusing Diddy of sexual assault. And of those, 22 cases were filed in federal court for the Southern District of New York, where Buzbee reportedly has no legal jurisdiction. Normally, this wouldn’t be that much of an issue, as lawyers get permission to practice in different states pretty often. This practice is known as “pro hac vice admission,” according to USA Today.
...But here’s the problem: Diddy’s lawyers say the Texan has been engaged in “egregious misconduct” that should prevent him from appearing in that district, according to the motion obtained by TMZ. More specifically, Diddy’s team is alleging Buzbee filed the lawsuits against the disgraced rap mogul before getting a judge’s official permission, which he’s not supposed to do.
Now, Diddy and his lawyers filed a motion officially opposing Buzbee’s request to represent another New York client despite not being licensed there, according to ABC 13. The motion, which was filed Tuesday (Feb. 25), claims Buzbee hasn’t tried to get the judge’s approval in many of his cases and still filed the suits. On one occasion, the motion alleged the lawyer was even denied admission to the Southern District of New York, according to TMZ.
Combs’ motion also referenced Shawn “Jay-Z” Combs’ defamation lawsuit against Buzbee saying Hov and his team already exposed this alleged misconduct by the Texas lawyer. Jay-Z’s suit came in response to both rappers being accused of a 2000 rape of a teenager. The Buzbee-filed civil suit has been dismissed with prejudice, The Root previously reported.
On Sunday, right before Diddy’s motion, Buzbee took to Instagram to clear his name. He wrote “Let me be clear. I’m licensed to practice law in New York. I’m in good standing with the state bar and have always been.”
He even went as far as to post a copy of a 2019 court clerk’s certification of his licensure to practice in New York state. He has not responded to the new motion.