NEW YORK — Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has initiated a legal battle against NBC Universal, alleging that a documentary misrepresents him as a serial killer who engaged in sexual acts with minors while he faces serious federal sex trafficking accusations.
The legal complaint, submitted in New York state court on Wednesday, claims that the film titled “Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy” contains statements that NBC Universal either knew to be untrue or published with a reckless disregard for the accurate portrayal of Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records.
According to the lawsuit, the documentary suggests that Combs has committed numerous grave offenses, including serial murder, child rape, and minor sex trafficking, while attempting to analyze his psychological state in a crude manner. “It maliciously and baselessly concludes that Mr. Combs is a ‘monster’ and ‘an embodiment of Lucifer’ with ‘a lot of similarities’ to Jeffrey Epstein,” the complaint states.
Representatives from NBC Universal and the production company associated with the documentary have yet to respond to requests for comments about the lawsuit. The documentary debuted last month on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform.
The promotional description for the documentary on Peacock outlines it as a revealing look at Combs’ life, featuring exclusive footage and honest interviews chronicling his ascent, controversies, and the persona behind the music.
Combs is pursuing damages totaling at least $100 million. He has been incarcerated in a federal facility in Brooklyn since his arrest in September, facing charges related to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Prosecutors argue that Combs leveraged his wealth and influence to manipulate female victims and male sex workers into engaging in extended, drug-fueled sexual escapades, termed “Freak Offs.” They also allege that he utilized methods of blackmail and intimidation to threaten his victims, establishing a pattern of abuse that reportedly dates back to the early 2000s.
Combs has entered a plea of not guilty, with his trial set to commence in May. In a recent decision concerning the criminal case, a federal judge declined a request from Combs’ defense team to hold a hearing regarding the seizure of 19 pages of his notes during a Bureau of Prisons operation at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is held without bail.
Defense attorneys assert this seizure infringed on Combs’ constitutional rights. However, Judge Arun Subramanian clarified in his ruling that there was no intentional breach of attorney-client privilege, that proper actions were followed afterward, and that the matter is moot since the prosecution will not introduce the seized information during the trial.
In the civil lawsuit, Combs’ attorney, Erica Wolff, accused NBC Universal and associated parties of spreading “maliciously and recklessly exaggerated untruths” to enhance viewership and profit from the documentary.
Wolff emphasized that the defendants sought to exploit the public’s intrigue with scandal, disregarding the truth and undermining Combs’ chances for a fair trial. She stated, “Mr. Combs brings this lawsuit to hold Defendants accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless statements have caused.”
The suit claims the documentary wrongly, recklessly, and maliciously links Combs to the deaths of several high-profile individuals, including Kimberly Porter, Christopher Wallace, and Dwight Arrington Myers.
Porter, who had a long-term relationship with Combs and was the mother of some of his children, passed away in 2008 from pneumonia complications at the age of 47. Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., was fatally shot in 1997 in a Los Angeles drive-by incident that remains unsolved, dying at 24. Myers, recognized as “Heavy D,” died from a pulmonary embolism in 2011 at 44.
The complaint also argues that the documentary irresponsibly pushes baseless conspiracy theories, implying that Combs must be a serial killer due to the number of individuals in his life who have died.
Additionally, it claims that the documentary referenced allegations of Combs engaging in sexual activities with underage girls, citing a civil suit that has been widely discredited. Combs’ legal team asserts that the women involved in that civil dispute have since verified that they were adults at the time.
