Latest news with #CombsGlobal
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Diddy's powerhouse lawyer doesn't drink, smoke, curse: What to know about Brian Steel
Sean "Diddy" Combs added high-profile criminal defense lawyer Brian Steel to his team in the weeks prior to his sex-trafficking trial. Steel filed a notice that he was joining the music mogul's defense on April 15, just weeks before the rapper appeared for the first time in front of potential jurors on May 5. Diddy has been charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17. Diddy has maintained his innocence. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison. Authorities alleged Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to prosecutors. Here's what to know about Georgia powerhouse, Brian Steel. Celebrity Lawyer Mark Geragos Steals Diddy Trial Spotlight, Runs Into Trouble With Judge Read On The Fox News App The Atlanta-based lawyer was added to Diddy's team on April 15. He joined Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, Anna Estevao, Jason Driscoll, Xavier Donaldson and Nicole Westmoreland. Steel is one of the last-minute additions to the team. Donaldson was added May 2, while Westmoreland was added May 7. Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos will assist Combs' legal team throughout the trial in an unofficial role, a source told Fox News Digital. Steel began his career as a tax attorney at Price Waterhouse after graduating from Fordham University School of Law. He has appeared in courts in many states besides Georgia, including California, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon and now New York. His clients' alleged crimes have ranged from RICO, wire fraud, immigration fraud and money laundering to murder, armed robbery, drug offenses, rape and child sex offenses. James Comey's Daughter Is Key To Diddy Prosecution After Taking Down Epstein Accomplice The attorney defending Diddy on charges that stem from lavish parties filled with alcohol actually leads a clean lifestyle. "Brian doesn't drink, doesn't smoke and can't believe anybody would," lawyer David Botts told the New Yorker. "He won't curse, even in court, even if he's reading from a transcript. So when he's cross-examining, he'll say, 'So-and-so F-word.' The court will say, 'Mr. Steel, you can read that word.' But Brian still won't do it." "Brian only drinks water," said the attorney, who has known Steel for more than 30 years. "His lunch is tofu or salmon, maybe, and a salad. No bread. I've never seen him eat out. And he'll bring a toothbrush to court. A toothbrush! He exercises daily, before or after court. Running. Swimming. Weights. And he's got a great family, three kids, a wonderful wife, Colette, who is also his law partner. They kind of idolize each other." Steel and his wife began their law firm together in 1997. Steel likely caught Combs' eye after defending Young Thug in the YSL trial. Young Thug was indicted under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in 2022 as authorities claimed he used his music label YSL as cover for a violent gang. "Brian is a legend, especially after YSL," Douglas Weinstein, who represented one of Young Thug's co-defendants, told Rolling Stone. "His insights, tenacity and character will be a phenomenal addition to Mr. Combs' team. I saw it in person during the YSL trial. I wish I could be a fly on the wall with whatever happens. He's a legend in Georgia." Diddy Trial: Prospective Jurors Quizzed On Mike Myers, Infidelity, Music The RICO trial ended up lasting nearly two years. While Steel was ready to defend the rapper until the end, Young Thug chose to accept a plea deal in October 2024. He was sentenced to time served and 15 years of probation. However, he has some regrets: "I shoulda listened to you," he told Steel during an interview with the New Yorker. "The worldwide tours and money that's being thrown at him now," Steel explained. "It was good before. Now it's next level. People realize what he did; in my opinion, he unmasked the truth that the criminal-justice system is broken." Following the conclusion of Young Thug's trial, Steel became somewhat of a celebrity himself. He posed for a photo shoot for Young Thug's clothing label, SP5DER, and rapper Drake titled a song after him. "Yeah, shout Brian Steel, take off the cuffs," Drake rapped in the song, which doesn't seem to be about the lawyer specifically but about freedom. "We leavin' now." Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter The lawyer has spent 30 years defending people accused of criminal conduct. "The more challenging the case is, the more likely I'll take it," Steel told the New Yorker. "Do I like the person I'm defending? That's the main thing." When asked if he'd have chosen to represent the late Jeffrey Epstein in his sex-trafficking trial, he told the outlet, "I'd have to understand better all the facts and circumstances." "See, I don't believe allegations," he explained. "I go into it believing the person is innocent."Original article source: Diddy's powerhouse lawyer doesn't drink, smoke, curse: What to know about Brian Steel
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Just Scored a Rare Legal Win, But It's Not All Good News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs may be counting down the days until his federal sex crime trial in May, but it appears he's scored a rare legal win in a different area before he has his day in court. But he still can't celebrate just yet and we'll tell you why. On Monday, a New York judge decided to dismiss partial claims lobbed against the disgraced hip-hop mogul by Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones back in February 2024. The bombshell sexual assault lawsuit was one of the first that came out against Diddy that triggered his eventual downfall. In the suit, Jones made a myriad of horrendous accusations against the Bad Boy producer including, but not limited to: sexual harassment, drugging, violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Diddy, his company Combs Global; his son Justin Combs; his chief of staff Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam were all named as defendants in the suit. Now however, per PEOPLE, it was revealed that the judge decided to dismiss Jones' claims of RICO violations against Diddy and the rest of the defendants—signaling a rare, major win for the heaviest charge of them all. The TVPA violations were also dropped against Combs Global, but Diddy and Khorram still face those charges. The judge also dismissed Jones' claims of emotional distress and breach of contract. But Diddy will still face charges of sexual assault and the 'premises liability claim' which argues that Jones was sexually assaulted multiple times on Diddy's property. Additionally, the judge also issued a warning against Jones' lawyer Tyrone Blackburn and his 'unsettling' conduct. 'Blackburn's filings are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel,' the judge wrote. But Blackburn remains unfazed. 'We view this as a win,' Blackburn said in a statement to USA Today on Tuesday. 'Defendants wanted a total dismissal and they failed to get it. [Combs and Khorram] 'do not want me to do discovery...I know where all of the bodies are buried and I have a HUGE shovel. Time to start digging!' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Racketeering claims against Sean Combs dismissed in producer's sexual assault lawsuit
A federal judge in New York has dismissed racketeering allegations against Sean Combs in a $30 million sexual assault and harassment lawsuit brought by a producer who worked on his most recent album. In the lawsuit, filed last year in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones accused Combs of making unwanted sexual contact and forcing him to hire sex workers and participate in sex acts with them. In an amended complaint, Jones accused Combs of being part of a racketeering and conspiracy enterprise involving sex trafficking. Jones said in the lawsuit that Combs drugged and threatened him when he lived and traveled with the music mogul from September 2022 to November 2023. The lengthy suit contained graphic details and photographs and alleged Jones was not properly paid for his work as a producer on Combs' Grammy-nominated 'The Love Album: Off the Grid.' Combs has denied the allegations and last year filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying it was overrun with 'legally meaningless allegations,' 'lurid theatrics' and 'blatant falsehoods.' 'Running to nearly 100 pages, it includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images,' he said in the motion. In a 31-page opinion, on Monday U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken dismissed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act allegation against Combs, his company Combs Global and his former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, who was named as a defendant in Jones' suit. Oetken said Jones had not proven an 'injury to business or property' caused by a violation of the RICO Act, which describes such enterprise as one in which people or groups work to violate the act intended to target organized crime. 'In sum, whether or not Jones has adequately alleged the existence of a RICO enterprise, he has not tied the activities of that enterprise to Defendants' breach of contract or any other 'business or property' harm incurred by Jones,' Oetken wrote. Oetken also dismissed allegations involving infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract. But he ruled that allegations of sex trafficking against Combs and Khorram could proceed. Oetken declined to dismiss sexual assault and liability claims, and he admonished Jones' lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, for his 'unsettling' conduct in response to Combs' motion to dismiss. 'Blackburn's filings are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel,' the judge said in his order. 'While the Court will not hold Blackburn's antics against Jones at this point, it warns Blackburn that further misconduct may lead to sanctions or to referral for discipline,' Oetken said in the order. Blackburn told NBC News in response: 'A win is a win. We look forward to discovery.' Khorram, who has been named in a couple of other sexual assault and misconduct lawsuits filed against Combs, denied any wrongdoing in a statement last week to Rolling Stone magazine. 'For months, horrific accusations have been made about me in various lawsuits regarding my former boss,' Khorram said in the statement. 'These false allegations of my involvement are causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional well-being of myself and my family. I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone. Nor have I ever drugged anyone.' Khorram did not return phone calls and emails from NBC News seeking comment. Combs, 55, is detained in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing in the dozens of civil lawsuits men and women filed against him. His trial is scheduled to begin in May. Representatives for Combs did not immediately return a request for comment. This article was originally published on
NBC News
25-03-2025
- NBC News
Racketeering claims against Sean Combs dismissed in producer's sexual assault lawsuit
A federal judge in New York has dismissed racketeering allegations against Sean Combs in a $30 million sexual assault and harassment lawsuit brought by a producer who worked on his most recent album. In the lawsuit, filed last year in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones accused Combs of making unwanted sexual contact and forcing him to hire sex workers and participate in sex acts with them. In an amended complaint, Jones accused Combs of being part of a racketeering and conspiracy enterprise involving sex trafficking. Jones said in the lawsuit that Combs drugged and threatened him when he lived and traveled with the music mogul from September 2022 to November 2023. The lengthy suit contained graphic details and photographs and alleged Jones was not properly paid for his work as a producer on Combs' Grammy-nominated 'The Love Album: Off the Grid.' Combs has denied the allegations and last year filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying it was overrun with 'legally meaningless allegations,' 'lurid theatrics' and 'blatant falsehoods.' 'Running to nearly 100 pages, it includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images,' he said in the motion. In a 31-page opinion, on Monday U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken dismissed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act allegation against Combs, his company Combs Global and his former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, who was named as a defendant in Jones' suit. Oetken said Jones had not proven an 'injury to business or property' caused by a violation of the RICO Act, which describes such enterprise as one in which people or groups work to violate the act intended to target organized crime. 'In sum, whether or not Jones has adequately alleged the existence of a RICO enterprise, he has not tied the activities of that enterprise to Defendants' breach of contract or any other 'business or property' harm incurred by Jones,' Oetken wrote. Oetken also dismissed allegations involving infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract. But he ruled that allegations of sex trafficking against Combs and Khorram could proceed. Oetken declined to dismiss sexual assault and liability claims, and he admonished Jones' lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, for his 'unsettling' conduct in response to Combs' motion to dismiss. 'Blackburn's filings are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel,' the judge said in his order. 'While the Court will not hold Blackburn's antics against Jones at this point, it warns Blackburn that further misconduct may lead to sanctions or to referral for discipline,' Oetken said in the order. Blackburn told NBC News in response: 'A win is a win. We look forward to discovery.' Khorram, who has been named in a couple of other sexual assault and misconduct lawsuits filed against Combs, denied any wrongdoing in a statement last week to Rolling Stone magazine. 'For months, horrific accusations have been made about me in various lawsuits regarding my former boss,' Khorram said in the statement. 'These false allegations of my involvement are causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional well-being of myself and my family. I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone. Nor have I ever drugged anyone.' Combs, 55, is detained in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing in the dozens of civil lawsuits men and women filed against him. His trial is scheduled to begin in May.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Scores Legal Win As Lil Rod's RICO Claims Are Dismissed By Judge
Diddy just scored a partial win in his sprawling tapestry of lawsuits. On Monday (Mar. 24), a judge dismissed claims that Sean Combs was not party to civil racketeering when he chose not to pay the producer for his work on Love Album. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken declared that Jones failed to show that any damage had been done to his 'business or property.' The federal judge stated that Combs' failure to pay the producer had no 'causal connection' to the RICO charges, Combs Global, or its former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram. '[Combs'] alleged refusal to honor the contract with Jones is not itself a RICO predicate act, even if the contract breach resulted from Jones's refusal to participate in Combs's alleged racketeering scheme,' the judge wrote in their conclusion. 'In sum, whether or not Jones has adequately alleged the existence of a RICO enterprise, he has not tied the activities of that enterprise to defendants' breach of contract, or any other 'business or property' harm incurred by Jones.' As for accusation the that Puffy committed a breach of contract, Judge Oetken pointed to New York state law, stating, 'Any contract that cannot be performed within one year is unenforceable unless it is in writing.' However, this courthouse win shouldn't be celebrated by the Combs team for too long. Oetker ruled that Jones' claims of sex trafficking against the mogul and Khorram could proceed. Judge Oetken reasoned that Jones' lawsuit met the 'necessary requirements' to establish a claim that Diddy broke state sex trafficking laws. The judge asserted that Lil Rod's description of Combs' allegedly groping his genitals and his anus and 'forcing him to solicit sex workers and perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs' were enough to proceed. 'On numerous occasions, Combs allegedly recruited or enticed Jones to solicit and perform sex acts with commercial sex workers, as well as transported Jones across state and international borders in order to do so,' the judge wrote in his 31-page opinion. 'Combs allegedly secured Jones's compliance with his requests both by promising economic benefits that never materialized and by threatening Jones with physical restraint and harm.' In a statement to Rolling Stone, Lil Rod's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, celebrated Judge Oetken's decision, declaring, 'A win is a win. The case is still alive. Diddy and [Khorram] better prepare for [the] deposition.' Sean Combs has consistently fought back against Lil Rod's claims, issuing numerous statements denying any wrongdoing. 'Mr. Jones' lawsuit is pure fiction,' his legal team wrote in 2024 regarding claims that Puffy sexually assaulted Jones. 'A shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement. There was no RICO conspiracy, and Mr. Jones was not threatened, groomed, assaulted, or trafficked. We look forward to proving — in a court of law — that all of Mr. Jones's claims are made-up and must be dismissed.' Khorram recently hit back at the claims against her, saying in a statement, 'The idea that I could be accused of playing a role in — or even being a bystander to — the rape of anyone is beyond upsetting, disturbing, and unthinkable. That is not who I am, and my heart goes out to all victims of sexual assault. I am confident that the allegations against me will be proven to be untrue.' Meanwhile, Diddy is currently behind bars, where he will stay through his trial which begins on May 5, 2025. More from Diddy's Former Chief Of Staff Breaks Silence On "Disturbing" Allegations Tony Buzbee Withdraws As Attorney On Several Diddy Lawsuits Sean "Diddy" Combs Allegedly "Didn't Know" Jail Call With Ye Was Being Recorded
