Diddy & Lil Rod Lawsuit: Rodney Jones' Lawyer Under Scrutiny For Past Litigation Concerns

BYGabriel Bras Nevares3.3K Views
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TimesTalks Presents: An Evening With Sean "Diddy" Combs
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: Sean "Diddy" Combs attends TimesTalks Presents: An Evening with Sean "Diddy" Combs at The New School on September 20, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
The Southern District of New York's Grievance Committee will review Tyrone Blackburn's supposedly "disturbing" prosecution history.

Rodney Jones, also known as Lil Rod, launched a staggering $30 million lawsuit against Diddy for sexual assault and sex trafficking claims with the help of lawyer Tyrone Blackburn. However, it seems like they may be in for more trouble than they thought. Moreover, Judge Denise Cote referred Blackburn to the Southern District of New York's Grievances Committee on Wednesday (April 3), according to court documents obtained by AllHipHop. In them, he's accused of "disturbing" past litigation, including deliberately salacious lawsuits in Federal Court. Judge Cote believes there's a pattern in the attorney's behavior that demonstrates he files cases to leverage the Federal Court process in his favor.

Specifically, Judge Cote accused Diddy's accuser's lawyer of purposefully attracting media attention to his cases, defaming defendants with unfounded and scandalous claims, and wriggling a rapid settlement out of them. Similar and recent accusations also emerged against lawyers Liane Fisher and Michael J. Taubenfeldckburn. In addition, she alleged that Blackburn did not properly file cases in their appropriate districts and brought up five instances of his continued action despite this lack of due diligence. Apparently, his case did not fall within Rule 11 obligations (which ensures that accusations are well-founded), something the Court is now very troubled with.

Diddy At Invest Fest 2023

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 26: Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

"A reasonable inference from Blackburn’s pattern of behavior is that he improperly files cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly," Judge Cote wrote of Diddy's prosecutor. "Regardless of Blackburn’s intentions, his actions in this and prior cases indicate a repeated failure to meet his Rule 11 obligations." UMG CEO Sir Lucian Grainge also reportedly considered to sanction Blackburn for Rule 11 violations, and he's a defendant in the Sean Combs lawsuit. Depending on what the Grievance Committee concludes, this judicial admonishment could impact other high-profile cases of his.

For example, Blackburn also sued Nicki Minaj, Kenneth Petty, T.I., Tiny, and more. As such, this could have pretty hefty consequences for his legal career. Nevertheless, the claims against (or for) the Bad Boy executive remain officially uncharged, unconfirmed, but nonetheless rightfully scrutinized under law enforcement. For more news and the latest updates on the Diddy situation, check back in with HNHH.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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