Why did a Judge dismiss five charges against Diddy in Lil Rod's $30 Million s*xual assault lawsuit? Everything to know

In February 2024, Sean Diddy Combs faced a $30 million lawsuit by music producer Rodney Lil Rod Jones. His complaint alleged that while working on Combs’ album, he was subjected to unwanted advances, including Diddy grabbing him inappropriately.

The lawsuit also claimed that Combs attempted to pressure him into engaging in physical activities with another man, suggesting it was common in the music industry. Additionally, Rod accused Diddy of forcing him to arrange encounters with escorts.

However, on March 24, 2025, of the nine claims in the lawsuit, Judge J. Paul Oetken dismissed five, writing that the producer tried to list the allegations as racketeering without providing solid arguments. According to a report by Baller Alert, the judge wrote:

“Jones fails to address any of these arguments in his opposition brief, and while the Court prefers to decide issues on the merits, it should not be necessary to root around a 402-paragraph complaint to contrive novel arguments on Jones’s behalf.”

The judge ruled against claims that there were RICO violations in addition to a breach of contract. Besides, the judge ruled against claims of emotional distress. A trafficking accusation involving Combs Global, one of the companies listed in the lawsuit, was also dismissed.

Lil Rod’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, was given a warning over his conduct in the court. The court criticized his filings for legal inaccuracies, baseless claims, and personal attacks on opposing counsel, even calling one argument "shocking." Nonetheless, Judge Oetken greenlit wrote:

“Jones’s allegations, need only be plausible, not probable.”

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Which claims did the judge allow to proceed in Lil Rod’s lawsuit against Diddy?

In his legal action against Diddy, Jones also identified the "RICO enterprise" group. This group, according to Jones, included Mr. Combs’ son Justin, Kristina Khorram, Lucian Grainge, and Ethiopia Habtemariam. Besides them, there were various record labels and unnamed individuals.

Judge Oetken dismissed the RICO charge against Combs and Khorram, stating that Jones’ arguments lacked a strong legal basis. Allegations of emotional distress, both due to negligence and intent, were dismissed. A claim regarding breach of contract was also dismissed.

Furthermore, the accusation of trafficking against Combs Global was also thrown out by the court. The judge wrote:

“Combs’ alleged refusal to honor the contract with Jones is not itself a RICO predicate act, even if the contract breach resulted from Jones’s refusal to participate in Combs’s alleged racketeering scheme."

However, the judge allowed the trafficking claims against Combs and Khorram to proceed, along with allegations of s*xual assault and liability. In a statement to Variety, Blackburn said:

“A win is a win. Play time is over. Now, it is time for discovery.”

The judge stated that Diddy repeatedly pressured Jones into engaging with commercial escorts and even arranged for him to travel across state and international borders for this purpose. It was alleged that Combs used both false promises of financial rewards and threats of physical harm to ensure Jones complied.

According to Rolling Stone, Diddy, through his legal team, has denied all allegations, stating that regardless of the number of lawsuits, he has never been involved in s*xual assault or trafficking of any kind involving any individual.