Despite being jailed over five months, Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to make headlines and face new accusations. Now, the music mogul is in the news along with his mother Janice Smalls (aka Janice Combs).
In a bombshell new lawsuit, Bad Boy Entertainment co-founder Kirk Burrowes accuses Diddy of threatening his life with a baseball bat to seize control of the company. Burrowes alleges Diddy’s mother was the mastermind of the takeover plot.
The Daily Mail obtained a copy of the 53-page lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in Manhattan federal court.
In addition to Diddy, the suit lists Janice Smalls and a Bad Boy Entertainment attorney as defendants.
Burrowes alleges the trio colluded to pull off an “elaborate scheme” to seize his 25 percent ownership stake in the company, and his 15 percent share of the earnings.
Related: Diddy Files $100M Defamation Lawsuit Over ‘Unhinged’ Claims in Peacock Documentary
The lawsuit says in May 1996, Diddy “stormed into” Burrowes’ New York City office and “made threatening statements while erratically wielding a baseball bat.” That day, Burrowes alleges Diddy forced him to sign over his share of the company.
“Plaintiff, fearing for his life, with tears streaming down his face clearly unable to resist under the circumstances, involuntarily signed the documents,” the lawsuit says.
The complaint says Janice Smalls was not present that day. But according to Burrowes, she became the majority stakeholder in the company, and he claims the alleged baseball bat incident was carried out “under [her] direction.”
Burrowes insists he only recently learned of Smalls’ alleged “fraudulent concealment” of plans to take over his stake in the company.
The former Bad Boy executive says he previously had a good relationship with Smalls and they were like family.
The lawsuit says he managed her personal and professional affairs, and she asked him for protection because she was allegedly being physically abused by her son. The lawsuit alleges Burrowes witnessed Diddy “aggressively overpowering” his mother and calling her “derogatory slurs.”
Yet Burrowes claims Smalls eventually turned on him and allegedly plotted to sabotage his career.
“They blacklisted him from the music industry, blocked business opportunities, and destroyed his professional reputation, ensuring he would remain financially destitute and unable to reclaim what was rightfully his,” the suit says.
As a result, Burrowes says he ended up broke and homeless.
The lawsuit says he joined Bad Boy Entertainment in June 1992. Burrowes claims he worked for free initially, then his salary rose to $30,000 in 1993, to $60,000 in 1994, and later $125,000 in 1997. He claims he was grossly underpaid as Bad Boy raked in millions.
Burrowes says he invested $100,000 of his own money to help get the company off the ground.
He’s seeking damages for financial losses, reinstatement of his 25 percent ownership stake, his 15 percent annual share including interest, and a forensic audit of Bad Boy Entertainment’s earnings dating back over to the 1990s.
Burrowes is represented by Tyrone Blackburn, the same attorney who filed an explosive sexual abuse lawsuit on behalf of music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones in February 2024.
The attorney included photos of Burrowes with Diddy in this new lawsuit, as well as a business card and news articles.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Burrowes said he looks forward to seeing Diddy’s mother in court.
“Janice Smalls, we started this out as a family unit, and I believed in Sean’s talent. I had a talent too, and I delivered… I looked out for your family, and you let them, as well as yourself, destroy mine. See you in court.”
An attorney for Smalls did not immediately respond to Urban Hollywood 411’s request for comment.
Burrowes has filed previous lawsuits over the 1996 incident, but they were dismissed because too much time had passed.
Last year, Smalls released a statement to us defending her son as he faces federal charges and a growing number of civil lawsuits.
“I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs. It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” she said.
Diddy was arrested on Sept. 16, in New York City and charged by federal prosecutors with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He remains jailed in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, after being denied bail by three separate federal judges. His trial is scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025.
The mogul is also facing dozens of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. He has denied all of the allegations.
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