Majority of Producer Rodney Jones’ Claims Towards Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in Sexual Assault Lawsuit Dismissed

A New York decide has dismissed a lot of producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’ claims in opposition to Sean “Diddy” Combs, per courtroom paperwork obtained by PEOPLE on Monday, March 24. Jones filed a $30 million sexual assault and sexual harassment lawsuit in opposition to Combs in February 2024.

In his 73-page submitting, Jones alleged that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him when he labored on Combs’ Love album from September 2022 to November 2023. The music producer additionally alleged that Combs and others that Combs employed sexually assaulted him.

Combs’ grownup son, Justin; his chief of employees, Kristina Khorram; Common Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and former Motown Information CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam are additionally named as defendants in Jones’ submitting.

In August, Combs filed a movement to dismiss Jones’ lawsuit as Combs’ legal professional Erica Wolff referred to as it “pure fiction.”

Decide J. Paul Oetken granted the movement partially and denied it partially on Monday.

Jones’ RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) allegation was dismissed because the decide famous he did not show there was a connection between Combs and his enterprises’ alleged racketeering conduct, and Jones not receiving fee for his work on the Love album. “The Courtroom can’t establish any such causal hyperlink,” Decide Oetken wrote, including, “Defendants’ alleged intercourse, drug, and gun trafficking actions … didn’t forseeably or naturally preclude Defendants from honoring their recording contract with Jones.”

Jones additionally sued Combs, Combs’ chief of employees, Kristina Khorram and Combs World over an alleged violation of the TVPA (Trafficking Victims Safety Act), which bans utilizing threats of pressure, fraud, and coercion “to trigger the individual to have interaction in a business intercourse act.”

Jones’ TVPA claims in opposition to Combs World had been dismissed. Nevertheless, Decide Oetken didn’t dismiss the allegations in opposition to Combs or Khorram, writing that Jones’ lawsuit contains a number of particular examples of incidents Combs allegedly “recruited or enticed Jones to solicit and carry out intercourse acts with business staff” and allegedly “transported Jones throughout state and worldwide borders to take action.”

Jones claimed he was drugged in the course of the alleged situations, and infrequently awoke in mattress with intercourse staff. He alleged that when he lived with Combs whereas engaged on the album, he was topic to “fixed unsolicited and unauthorized groping and touching … ” for “business” functions. He alleged Combs made guarantees for Jones’ profession and funds to get Jones to “settle for this undesirable conduct.”

Jones particularly accused Combs of sexual assault, claiming he “touched and groped him,” offering “particular situations of undesirable sexual contact.” For instance, he alleged Combs drugged and slept with him in Combs’ Miami dwelling in February 2023. Decide Oetken dominated that Jones’ sexual assault claims had been “ample to state a believable declare,” and didn’t dismiss the allegation.

The decide additionally determined to not dismiss Jones’ premises legal responsibility declare, which was primarily based Jones’ allegations that he was sexually assaulted a number of instances on Combs’ properties. Decide Oetken famous, “Combs had each possession and management of the premises.”

Nevertheless, as a result of Jones didn’t “adequately plead” that he suffered extreme emotional misery, his declare of negligent and intentional infliction of emotional misery in opposition to Combs was dismissed.

Lastly, Jones’ breach of contract claims, stemming from his allegations that he wasn’t paid for his work on the album, had been dismissed. The decide pointed to New York’s statute of frauds that claims a contract that may’t be carried out inside one 12 months is unenforceable until it’s in writing. Though the defendants’ portion could not be carried out in a 12 months, Jones and Combs’ staff appeared to have an oral settlement.

Additionally in courtroom paperwork, the decide issued a warning to Jones’ lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, attributable to his “unsettling” conduct, including, “Blackburn’s filings are replete with inaccurate statements of legislation, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate advert hominem assaults on opposing counsel.”

“A win is a win,” Blackburn tells PEOPLE of the decide’s ruling, including that he’s “wanting ahead to discovery.”

Combs is at present being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Heart on unrelated allegations. He was arrested in September 2024 and charged with transportation to have interaction in prostitution, racketeering and intercourse trafficking. His trial is scheduled to start on Might 5.

If you happen to or somebody has been sexually assaulted, please contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.