Diddy's Lawyers Quit $100 Million Defamation Lawsuit Over Unpaid Fees
- Lawyers at Sher Tremonte LLP filed a request to withdraw from Sean Combs' $100 million defamation lawsuit in September
- The firm cited unpaid legal fees stretching back more than six months and a breakdown in communication with the rapper
- Diddy pushed back through his spokesperson, claiming he chose to switch lawyers over unapproved charges
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Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing yet another legal headache, this time from his own legal team. The law firm representing him in a high-profile civil case has moved to exit, and the two sides are telling very different stories about why, reports The Cable.
Sher Tremonte LLP filed a formal request to withdraw from the $100 million defamation lawsuit on 14 September at the Southern District of New York. Partner Michael Tremonte stated in the filing that Combs had left a substantial balance of fees, costs, and expenses unpaid for over six months, and that attempts to communicate with him about the matter had repeatedly hit a wall.
Source: Instagram
According to TMZ, Tremonte described the situation as a "total breakdown in cooperation and communication," adding that the rapper had made himself unavailable for "timely, substantive, and direct communications" for more than four months.
According to the attorney, those conditions made providing effective legal representation "unreasonably difficult."
Diddy's Defamation Suit at the Centre of the Dispute
The lawsuit in question was originally filed in January 2025, with Combs initially seeking $50 million in damages from Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell and Nexstar Media Inc., the parent company of NewsNation.
He later doubled his demand to $100 million, alleging that the defendants made false claims about him during a NewsNation broadcast.
Combs, however, rejected his legal team's version of events entirely.
Speaking through his spokesperson Juda Engelmayer, the rapper insisted that he was the one who chose to part ways with the firm, pointing to what he described as unapproved charges running up his bill.
"I made the decision to switch lawyers because I won't let anyone take advantage of me by overcharging me and running up bills that were never approved," Combs said through Engelmayer.
"This is strictly a business matter, and any talk about unpaid fees is just part of our dispute over those unapproved charges."
Tremonte firmly denied the accusation.
"As stated in our court filings, we are withdrawing from representing him because he has not paid his long-overdue invoices and has become uncooperative. Any suggestion that we overcharged him is simply false," he said, adding that the firm had represented Combs "zealously and very efficiently under challenging circumstances."
Diddy's Wider Legal Troubles
The legal dispute comes as Combs remains incarcerated following his arrest in September 2024, after more than 120 accusers came forward with allegations including kidnapping, blackmail, abuse, and night work-related crimes.
He was subsequently convicted on two counts of transportation for night work and sentenced to more than four years in prison by Judge Arun Subramanian at the New York courthouse in October.
His projected release date was revised in November 2025, pushed back from 8 May 2028 to 4 June 2028, reportedly due to multiple rule violations during his time behind bars.
Source: Instagram
50 Cent reacts to ex-lover’s alleged tape with Diddy
In a previous report, Legit.ng disclosed that American rapper 50 Cent reacted after an alleged leaked video involving Sean Diddy Combs and Daphne Joy trended online.
The G-Unit boss mocked Diddy before focusing on Daphne Joy, who is the mother of his son, Sire.
Source: Legit.ng
