Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys have filed a motion seeking to withdraw as his legal representatives in his $100 million defamation lawsuit against Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell and Nexstar Media Inc., the parent company of NewsNation.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Michael Tremonte, a partner at Sher Tremonte LLP, claimed Combs had failed to pay a substantial outstanding balance in legal fees, costs and expenses.
Tremonte alleged that the rapper had been in arrears on the firm’s legal fees for more than six months, despite the firm continuing to provide legal services.
The attorney also cited an alleged breakdown in communication, claiming that Combs had not made himself available for timely and substantive discussions about his cases for more than four months.
Tremonte argued that the lack of cooperation had made the attorney-client relationship unreasonably difficult and asked the court to approve the firm’s withdrawal from the case.
In response, Combs said he decided to change lawyers because he believed he was being overcharged and billed for expenses he had not approved.
“This is strictly a business matter,” Combs said, adding that claims about unpaid fees were part of a dispute over charges he said were not authorised.
Combs initially filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit in January 2025 against Burgess, Mitchell and Nexstar Media Inc. He later amended the suit, increasing the damages sought to $100 million.
The lawsuit stems from allegations made by Burgess, who appeared on NewsNation in late 2024 and claimed to possess nearly a dozen flash drives containing alleged videos involving Combs and several celebrities.
Combs’ lawsuit accused Burgess of making false claims and alleged that Mitchell and NewsNation repeated or amplified those claims despite allegedly knowing, or recklessly disregarding, that they were false. The defendants have disputed the allegations.
Last July, Combs was found not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of racketeering conspiracy.
