Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mother, Janice Combs, is the target of a new lawsuit filed by her son’s Bad Boy Records cofounder Kirk Burrowes.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, February 26, in Manhattan federal court, Burrowes claimed Janice, 84, secretly and unlawfully assumed control of his 25 percent ownership stake in Bad Boy after Diddy, 55, allegedly coerced Burrowes into signing over his share by threatening physical violence.
In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Burrowes claimed that he only recently learned of Janice’s alleged “fraudulent concealment” of her attempt to take over his stake in 1996 and says that his allegation isn’t hampered by the normal six-year statute of limitations. Burrowes alleges that an investigation undertaken last year found “irrefutable evidence” that Diddy’s mom “secretly received and unlawfully [assumed] control of [his] 25 percent ownership stake in [Bad Boy Entertainment].”
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Burrowes further alleges that Janice “engaged in a decades-long scheme of intimidation, violence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and financial concealment to strip [him] of his rightful ownership interest in and to BBE.”
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The music pro goes on to describe an “appalling” incident where Diddy, 55, allegedly “stormed into” Burrowes’ office and “made threatening statements while erratically wielding a baseball bat.” Burrowes claims Diddy then presented him with a contract he’d never seen.
“Under extreme duress and in justified fear for his physical safety and life, [Burrowes] did not read the contract, but nevertheless signed the contract presented without the guidance of proper legal representation,” the lawsuit claims. “He later discovered his signature on the aforesaid contract conveyed away his rightful 25 percent ownership interest in and to BBE.”
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Burrowes also claims that Janice claimed she would “rectify” the theft of his share in the company but instead “systematically sabotaged” his career by blacklisting him from “various music industry events, companies, gatherings and business opportunities” and engaging “in a concerted effort to destroy his professional reputation.”
In his suit, Burrowes is asking for compensatory damages of the value of his 25 percent ownership stake or the return of his ownership interest. He is also requesting an independent audit of Bad Boy’s earnings from its inception and punitive damages.
Burrowes previously filed a lawsuit about a 1996 incident in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which found them legally deficient and outside of the statute of limitations. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that dismissal.
In 2006, Burrowes filed a similar lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court, which was dismissed by the Appellate Division, First Department, because of the statute of limitations issues and lack of sufficient factual support.
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Last year, Janice released a statement in support of Diddy after his September 2024 arrest on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
“I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs. It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” she told Us at the time.
“To bear witness [sic] what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words,” she continued. “Like every human being, my son deserves to have this day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”
Diddy is currently in jail awaiting trial. He has denied all the allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Us Weekly
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