In May 2023, rapper/music producer, Sean "Diddy" Combs, filed lawsuits against business partners, Diageo, accusing the company of racism, for dropping him from all the ads regarding their joint liquor venture. Diageo is a partner of Diddy's in the joint ownership of the liquor brands "Ciroc" and DéLeon. The company fired back, asking the judge presiding over the case, Justice Joel M. Cohen, to block Diddy from the brands' ads.

Diageo released a statement in June 2023 stating, "Mr. Combs’ bad-faith actions have clearly breached his contracts and left us no choice but to move to dismiss his baseless complaint and end our business relationship. Mr. Combs has repeatedly undermined our partnerships and threatened to publicly defame Diageo if we did not meet his unreasonable financial demands."

However, a few short months later things began to go wrong for Diddy in the case, in the wake of a slew of sexual assault and battery lawsuits filed against him by various women, including ex-girlfriend and singer Cassie. As such, Diddy settled his lawsuit against Diageo. The partnership is now deader than Diddy's career.

Diageo stated in court papers, "The disturbing allegations against Mr. Combs set forth in these lawsuits underscore that any DeLeón campaign featuring Mr. Combs would compound and amplify the harm that he has already caused DeLeón. Requiring Diageo to pay for such a campaign would be devastating to the brand and to Diageo more broadly."

Now that Diageo has given Diddy the boot, the company and the rapper released a joint statement regarding the end of their partnership, "Sean Combs and Diageo have now agreed to resolve all disputes between them. Mr. Combs has withdrawn all of his allegations about Diageo and will voluntarily dismiss his lawsuits against Diageo with prejudice. Diageo and Mr. Combs have no ongoing business relationship, either with respect to Cîroc vodka or DeLeón tequila, which Diageo now solely owns."

If Diddy continued the lawsuit Diageo could argue his image and reputation are in the toilet in the face of the subsequent sexual assault and battery lawsuits brought against him by four women in separate legal actions. Therefore, it would be detrimental to the brand to have him in their ads. Diddy would be on the hook for all legal fees incurred in the case and possibly have to pay massive damages if they chose to file a countersuit for defamation.

STORY SOURCE

Sean Combs Settles With Diageo Amid Ongoing Sexual Assault Lawsuits

January 16, 2024 - Sean Combs has reached a settlement with Diageo and will no longer be a joint owner of the tequila brand DeLeón or have any ties to Cîroc vodka, the embattled music mogul and liquor giant said in a joint statement Tuesday.

The pact comes after Combs first sued Diageo in May, accusing the company of labeling Cîroc and DéLeon as “Black brands” restricted to “urban” markets. He sued again in October, asking for an injunction that would force Diageo to comply with how he viewed his DeLéon contract. Weeks later, his ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a bombshell lawsuit alleging Combs raped her, beat her, and forced her to have sex with other men while he watched. Two more accusers stepped forward with lawsuits on Thanksgiving Day.

One alleged Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her and then showed video of the assault to others. The other woman alleged Combs and singer Aaron Hall took turns raping her and her friend in the early Nineties. In early December, a fourth accuser alleged Combs, former Bad Boy president Harve Pierre and a third man gang raped her at Combs’ New York recording studio in 2003 when she was 17 years old...

https://www.rollingstone.com

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