Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines January 22
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Sean "Diddy" Combs filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday in New York federal court against Nexstar Media Inc., (NewsNation), Courtney Burgess and attorney Ariel Mitchell, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Diddy accused the defendants of "fueling a media frenzy, fabricating outlandish claims and stirring up baseless speculation" about him for months over alleged sex tapes involving the disgraced music mogul and additional celebrities, according to the lawsuit. He's seeking $50 million in damages.
"In this pitiful spectacle, all pretense of objectivity has been abandoned, as a global audience feasts at the all-you-can-eat buffet of wild lies and conspiracy theories," docs stated. "Defendants are among the worst perpetrators in this offensive scenario. They eagerly court every opportunity to broadcast blatant falsehoods, pretending they have proof that Mr. Combs engaged in heinous acts, knowing that no such proof exists."
Sean "Diddy" Combs filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell and Nextstar Media, Inc. (Munawar Hosain)
"Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is taking a stand against the malicious falsehoods that have been fabricated and amplified by individuals seeking to profit at his expense," Diddy's lawyer, Erica Wolff, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
"These defendants have willfully fabricated and disseminated outrageous lies with reckless disregard for the truth. Their falsehoods have poisoned public perception and contaminated the jury pool. This complaint should serve as a warning that such intentional falsehoods, which undermine Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial, will no longer be tolerated."
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Diddy's legal team alleged Burgess "falsely claimed that he possessed videos of Mr. Combs involved in the sexual assault of celebrities and minors."
They asserted that Burgess, who was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors to testify in front of a grand jury, "repeated this false claim many times to anyone who would listen, including reporters for major news outlets (including NewsNation, which recklessly repeated and amplified his lies as if they were true)," according to the lawsuit.
Diddy was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed in September. (Jordan Strauss)
Mitchell, Burgess' lawyer, allegedly "knew that her client's claims were false, or at a minimum was utterly reckless in disregarding their falsity," docs stated.
"Because no such tapes exist, and because Mitchell never saw any video depicting Mr. Combs sexually abusing anyone, adult or minor, Mitchell’s many false assertions that Burgess possessed such videos were either knowingly blatant falsehoods or recklessly false statements made as the direct result of Mitchell’s inexcusable failure to investigate her client’s outrageous lies."
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Representatives for Burgess did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Diddy was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 17.
Sean "Diddy" Combs pleaded not guilty in September, and a judge set his trial date for May 5. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
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 the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled Combs' trial to begin on May 5. The prosecution expects the government's case to take three weeks to lay out, while Combs' legal team estimated needing one week to argue the rapper's defense.
While the "Last Night" singer has maintained his innocence, if found guilty he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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Tracy Wright is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to tracy.wright@fox.com.
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