Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal has been dismissed by a federal judge, who found that the former Bad Boy label owner failed to meet the legal standard for defamation.
According to AllHipHop, Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond has dismissed the claims Diddy had filed against NBCUniversal, Peacock TV, and Ample LLC. Diddy sued the entities over the documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, which was released Jan. 2, 2025.
“It is inconceivable as to how the Documentary created additional damage to [Diddy’s] reputation, which was already tarnished by the numerous lawsuits, domestic violence video, press coverage, and a criminal indictment prior to the Documentary’s publication.” Judge Perry-Bond said in the ruling.
She said that NBCUniversal did not act with gross irresponsibility, the legal standard Diddy’s suit needed to prove.
“The Documentary demonstrates a carefully curated and nuanced approach which discloses interviewees’ biases and includes counterstatements to the allegedly defamatory statements, including statements from Plaintiff and his attorneys. The Documentary provides viewers with numerous viewpoints, coupled with objective information, from which the viewer may draw their own conclusions on numerous topics discussed.”
The ruling also said that the convicted entertainment mogul already had a bad reputation before the documentary’s release, citing the libel-proof plaintiff doctrine. She cited the publicly shared hotel surveillance video that revealed his assault of former girlfriend/recording artist Cassie, as well as his federal criminal indictment and the number of civil lawsuits filed against him. Judge Perry-Bond also used his own words against him. She stated that he, himself, said his actions caught on the video were “disgusting, shameful, and sick.”
When the lawsuit was filed in February, Diddy’s attorneys said the documentary portrayed him in such a negative light and that NBCUniversal acted “maliciously and recklessly” when the documentary made claims that he participated in “serial murder” and “sexual assault of minors” without a “shred of evidence.”
In response, NBCUniversal claimed that at Diddy’s sentencing, he said, “Because of my decisions, I lost my freedom. I lost my career. I totally destroyed my reputation.” That one sentence is why the “No Way Out” producer cannot blame NBCUniversal for how he was portrayed in the documentary.
Diddy is at Fort Dix in New Jersey serving a 50-month prison term after being convicted on two counts of transporting individuals to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act in July 2025.
