Sean “Diddy” Combs is laying low no more.
On Monday, the embattled rapper’s army of lawyers filed to dismiss Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’ lawsuit, which involves stunning allegations of abuse, sexual harassment and overall misconduct.
Combs’ motion, filed in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York and viewed by NBC News , breaks down all of Jones’ numerous claims one by one.
The “Love Album” producer, who began collaborating with Diddy in August 2022, claims in his lawsuit filed last February that he faced a nightmare working environment, including being harassed, groped, drugged and forced to engage in unsolicited sex acts .
READ MORE: Ex adult film star who accused Diddy of ‘grooming’ her files police report
Jones also shockingly accused Combs of racketeering, and being part of a criminal enterprise that could qualify as a “widespread and dangerous criminal sex trafficking organization.”
On March 25, the same day Jones’ legal team filed an amended complaint to the suit, federal investigators from Homeland Security descended on the Bad Boy Records founder’s homes in L.A. and Star Island in Miami Beach. The raids triggered a wave of even more lawsuits, with people coming out of the woodwork with their own horrific tales.
Monday’s response says Jones’ “vague” suit has no legal standing and should be thrown out. Among the many things they say the Chicago entertainer didn’t prove is that his “business or property was injured” under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act , better known as RICO.
The motion says that Jones’ $30 million suit is an attempt to “dress up a run-of-the-mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy.”
The music mogul’s lawyer also says key details about the purported assaults were lacking, such as providing specific instances and dates.
Moreover, the Harlem native’s attorneys say Jones failed to offer a primary claim under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 , showing he was forced into a sex act in exchange for something of value.
“Running to nearly 100 pages, it includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images,” the documents read.
“Mr. Jones’s lawsuit is pure fiction — a shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement,” Combs’ lawyer Erica Wolff said in a statement. “There was no RICO conspiracy and Mr. Jones was not threatened, groomed, assaulted, or trafficked.”
READ MORE: Diddy’s ex Yung Miami breaks her silence on scandal
Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn , released his own statement to TMZ: “This is clearly a billing exercise by Combs’ latest set of attorneys, who are late to the game and are attempting to fill their pockets with this Hail Mary motion to dismiss before their client is indicted.”
As for Jones, he says he is not doing well, in his first official interview since the scandal.
The 38 year old told Rolling Stone that his work prospects have dried up since the entire mess began, and that he believes he’s been “blackballed” from the industry.
Jones also lifted the lid on his harrowing experience of working with Combs on their Grammy nominated album, between September 2022 and November 2023.
“He’s a monster. He’ll do whatever is necessary to get exactly what he wants,” the R&B artist told the outlet. “He doesn’t take no for an answer. He [told me] himself, ‘I’ll smack my mama.’ Anybody who can say that even jokingly is a monster. He’s nothing to be played with.
“For a person whose brand is Love Records, and changed their name to Love and named their kid Love, he doesn’t show love. He’s just marketing.“
Meanwhile, Combs was seen out and about looking unbothered over the weekend, somewhere in South Beach.
Only in Dade captured him smiling while strolling on the sand with a pal, fist bumping and taking selfies with fans.
Should he be worrying? The myriad lawsuits Combs is currently facing are civil in nature, but CNN reported that feds were prepared to utilize a grand jury, meaning the U.S. Justice Department could be seeking an indictment.
Local News
