Diddy Lawsuit Revives Wild Claims of '8 Celebrity Tapes' Involving Men, Women and Alleged Minors

Sean "Diddy" Combs filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit in response to rumors about "8 celebrity s-- tapes," aggressively denying that the videos ever existed.

The lawsuit targets Courtney Burgess — a music manager and a grand jury witness who came to prominence in late 2024 following explosive claims regarding Combs, Burgess' lawyer Ariel Mitchell, and Nexstar Media (the parent company of NewsNation), accusing them of fabricating "outrageous lies" to exploit the media coverage surrounding Combs' federal criminal charges.

In late 2024, Burgess began giving high-profile media interviews claiming Combs’ late ex-partner, Kim Porter, gave him 11 flash drives.

He alleged that these drives contained eight recordings featuring notable individuals — including "two to three" minors — as victims.

In January 2025, Combs' legal team filed a federal lawsuit saying no such videos exist, no drives were ever handed over to the government, and the claims were manufactured to poison public perception.

In September, a federal judge officially denied Mitchell’s attempt to dismiss the case, allowing Combs' multi-million-dollar defamation claims against her and certain claims against Nexstar Media to proceed to trial.

In his ruling, the judge rejected Mitchell’s argument that she was merely repeating client claims or expressing an opinion, stating that repeating a false claim can still constitute defamation.

The court noted that Combs adequately alleged Mitchell claimed personal knowledge of evidence (such as a purported police report and a s-- tape) that did not actually exist.

NewsNation's parent company received a mixed ruling. While several claims were dismissed, the judge allowed specific defamation claims to proceed, including those tied to a broadcast suggesting Combs used drug-laced baby oil to incapacitate the victim.

Meanwhile, Burgess failed to defend himself legally in the action. A certificate of default was entered against him on April 30, though the judge has not yet determined damages.

This civil development occurs while Combs serves a 50-month prison sentence at FCI Fort Dix following a conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in p-----------. He was acquitted of more serious racketeering and s-- trafficking charges.

Combs continues to await his federal criminal trial on s-- trafficking and racketeering charges while remaining incarcerated.

In the filings driving this lawsuit, Combs' lawyers summarized the entire situation as follows: "This case is about Defendants' willful schemes to fabricate and broadcast outrageous lies concerning Mr. Combs and then to leverage those falsehoods to enrich themselves, gain social media fame, promote their brands, strip Mr. Combs of his reputation and livelihood, and jeopardize his right to a fair trial."

A federal court conference is scheduled for September 17 to map out discovery, mediation, and next steps for the upcoming trial.