According to a report from Vibe, Sean Combs, a.k.a. “Diddy”, has made a strong first stride in his pending lawsuit against Diageo. On Thursday (September 7th), the entertainment and promotions mogul appeared in the Supreme Court of New York as the initial developments in the legal battle were laid out.
The lawsuit was initially filed against the British alcoholic beverage company in May with allegations from Combs stating that Diageo had been negligent toward his brand, DeLeon Tequila, with claims of racially motivated negligence.
On September 7th, Judge Joel M. Cohen rejected two motions by Diageo, one of which was to dismiss the case and the other motion to send the case to arbitration, where a decision would have been reached in private versus publicly. The lawsuit will remain in state court and open to the public.
According to an email statement, Judge Cohen gave ear to 90 minutes of arguments from both party’s attorneys, then took a recess for a few minutes and returned to announce his decision from the bench.
Diageo provided a statement following the judge’s decision:
“While we are disappointed with today’s procedural decision, it is important to underscore that this is not a ruling on the merits of the claims, which we maintain are false and baseless. We are currently considering all legal options.”
“This case has always been about getting fair and equal treatment,” expressed Combs’ lawyer John Hueston. “Today’s decision is an important step in the right direction. Diageo tried to end this action. Today the judge soundly rejected that effort.”
Diddy went on to state, “I’m fighting for fair and equal treatment for everyone. This isn’t just about me. I look forward to continuing this fight in court. We all deserve the same 24 hours.”
Both parties claim to have valid reason for their positions in this matter and on this matter: Diddy alleges Diageo created a watermelon version of DeLeón Tequila without his consent and referred to the spirit as well as CIRÔC as “urban brands.”
Diageo claims Diddy contributed just $1,000 to their joint ventures despite making almost a billion dollars in profit, asserting, “Mr. Combs has repeatedly undermined our partnerships and threatened to publicly defame Diageo if we did not meet his unreasonable financial demands.”
We will see how this all plays out in time…
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