Courtney Burgess, who was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors to testify before a grand jury considering additional charges against the rap mogul over alleged videos showing him and other celebrities having sex, and NewsNation parent company Nexstar have been sued by Sean Combs for defamation.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in New York, Combs alleges Burgess may not be given a fair trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering because of interviews in which Burgess claims to have videos of the singer sexually abusing celebrities, some of whom appear to be minors. The lawsuit, which also accuses Nexstar of exaggerating the claims in several interviews, aims to recover at least $50 million(approx £41,089,700.00)
Combs’ attorney, Erica Wolff, said in a statement that her client is “taking a stand against the malicious falsehoods that have been fabricated and amplified by individuals seeking to profit at his expense.” “These defendants have recklessly disregarded the truth and willfully fabricated and disseminated outrageous lies,” she continued. Their lies have tainted the jury pool and damaged public opinion. Such deliberate lies that compromise Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial will no longer be accepted, as this complaint should serve as a warning.
Following Combs’ indictment by federal prosecutors, there has been increased conjecture regarding the potential involvement of other celebrities in the criminal case. Burgess broke free from the escalating rumours by declaring that he had videos supporting claims of sexual assault, some of which featured other celebrities who, according to him, looked like children.
Combs’s targets Burgess is accused of repeatedly saying that Kim Porter, the rap mogul’s mother of four children, gave him a copy of her memoir and videos showing him sexually abusing drunken celebrities and children. Still photos from the videos, including one of Justin Bieber kissing an unnamed man, were included in one interview, according to Burgess.
“Is this image authentic?” When questioned, Burgess said, “Yes, yes, definitely.”
Burgess made alleged false claims in a subsequent interview on NewsNation that “all” of the eight celebrities who were captured having sex with Combs were drunk and “victims” of sexual assault, and that “two or three” of them looked like minors, according to the lawsuit.
Combs also cites September interviews with Burgess’ attorney, Ariel Mitchell, who told NewsNation that “tapes have already been leaking around Hollywood, being shopped around to individuals in Hollywood.” A person “contacted me to shop a particular video they were in possession of and to contact the person who was in the video to see if they were interested in purchasing the video before it became public knowledge,” Mitchell added, referring to her client.