Sean “Diddy” Combs has launched a $50 million lawsuit in federal court, taking aim at Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell, and media conglomerate Nexstar Media Inc., the parent company of NewsNation.

Filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the defamation suit accuses the defendants of smearing Diddy’s reputation by disseminating what his lawyers call “malicious fabrications.” In his court filing, Diddy alleges that Burgess and Mitchell concocted outlandish claims about him, most notably involving supposed sex tapes—claims bolstered and widely circulated by a NewsNation broadcast. His legal team asserts the media outlet failed to investigate the information and acted irresponsibly by airing the accusations without verifying their validity. 

The allegations center on Burgess’ claim to possess 11 flash drives featuring video footage spanning 30 years, allegedly documenting explicit behavior involving the Hip-Hop mogul and other high-profile figures. Some of this material, Burgess claims, was provided by Kim Porter before her death in 2018. Even more sensationally, the accusations include unverified claims that minors appear in the tapes.