Tony Buzbee withdraws 15 s*xual abuse cases against Diddy amid court admission controversy

Tony Buzbee, who had accused Diddy and Jay-Z in December 2024 of r*ping a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards afterparty has withdrawn the s*xual abuse lawsuits against Diddy, according to Billboard.

According to the publication, more than 20 cases were filed against Sean Combs by the high-profile lawyer. And, according to Houston Public Media, Buzbee was "not admitted to practice" in the Southern District of New York.

The news of Tony stepping down came after a U.S. District Judge asked him to explain why he hadn't disclosed his lack of practice in the Southern District of New York.

Buzbee, in a statement to Houston Public Media, wrote,

"Most of the cases we have filed are in state court," he wrote. "Until that administrative issue is sorted out, my colleagues who are formally admitted in the SDNY will continue to push those cases while I continue to march forward in the New York State cases. We also will be filing cases in Nevada and California very soon."

Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy's lawsuits over court admission dispute

After U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams issued an order for Tony, he filed a notice saying that he would be withdrawing from the lawsuits against Diddy until he gets proper approval to practice there.

However, other attorneys from Curis Law will still represent his clients. When the Judge, Ronnie Abrams asked Tony why he hadn't notified the court earlier, Tony chose to withdraw from the case instead of responding.

According to Houston Public Media, in the U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams' order, he wrote,

"It has come to the court's attention that Anthony Buzbee ... has not been admitted to practice in the Southern District of New York...No later than March 18, 2025, Mr. Buzbee shall file a letter explaining why he failed to notify the Court about this issue earlier."

Tony Buzbee first filed a lawsuit against Diddy in 2024, when on Oct 1, he announced he would represent John Doe who alleged was se*ually abused by the rapper.

Earlier in September 2024, Buzbee announced he would file a se*ual abuse lawsuit against Diddy and would represent over 50 clients.

Subsequently, on December 8, 2024, Tony filed a lawsuit against Diddy and Jay- Z accusing them of r*pe. Jay-Z's lawyers however denied the claim and in February 2025, this lawsuit was dismissed.

Diddy, the founder of Bad Boy Record Label has been under fire since November 2023, when Cassie Ventura, his former ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit against Diddy in the Manhattan federal court. She accused him of violent beatings, r*pe, and abuse.

Latest updates on Diddy's case

According to BBC, on March 14, 2025, Diddy pleaded not guilty to new charges added to his case. These charges included forcing his employees to work by using physical force or threatening them.

Diddy has been in jail without bail since September 2024 and is currently awaiting his trial on serious federal charges. These charges include s*x trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution. His trial is scheduled to begin on May 12, 2025.