Sean "Diddy" Combs, the co-founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, is facing new allegations of sexual abuse, coercion, and violence from his former business partner, Kirk Burrowes. On February 28, Burrowes filed an 18-page complaint in New York, detailing a pattern of misconduct spanning over a decade.
The lawsuit alleges that Combs subjected Burrowes to "repeated sexual harassment, physical aggression, and forced compliance with degrading sexual acts," some of which reportedly took place under the guise of business meetings. According to the court filing, Combs allegedly engaged in exhibitionism, voyeurism, and inappropriate advances towards Burrowes, using his position of power to exert control over him.
The complaint further accuses Combs of escalating his actions into physical violence, blackmail, career sabotage, and financial extortion. Burrowes claims he was coerced into giving up his 25% ownership stake in Bad Boy Entertainment under duress. The filing states that Combs once "stormed into Burrowes' office with a baseball bat" and forced him to sign away his stake or face "violent repercussions." The lawsuit asserts that Burrowes did not receive any financial compensation for his share in the company.
Burrowes initially filed a lawsuit against Combs in 2003 over an alleged 1996 incident, but the complaint was dismissed. His latest filing follows another lawsuit filed two days prior against Combs' mother, Janice Combs, in which he claims she unlawfully seized control of his 25% stake in Bad Boy Entertainment. According to the complaint, she "knowingly participated in the fraudulent scheme to obtain 100% control" of the company while maintaining a public image of detachment.
Combs' legal team dismissed the allegations, stating, "This latest lawsuit filed by Kirk Burrowes, filed by none other than Tyrone Blackburn, is another frivolous attempt to re-litigate claims that have been repeatedly thrown out of court over the past 30 years." They added, "Despite repeated dismissals, Burrowes and Blackburn are intent on wasting the court's time and resources by refiling dismissed claims and now dragging Mr. Combs' 80-year-old mother into this."
The complaint, which cites New York City's Gender Motivated Violence Act, is the latest in a series of legal challenges facing Combs. More than a dozen individuals have accused the music mogul of sexual misconduct, all of which he has denied. Combs is also currently facing federal criminal charges, including sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, to which he has pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, with a trial scheduled for May.
Burrowes' lawsuit provides detailed descriptions of alleged incidents between 1992 and 1996. The filing claims that Combs forced Burrowes to witness sexual acts involving employees, interns, prospective artists, and third parties at Bad Boy Entertainment's offices as a means of exerting control. It further alleges that Combs would summon Burrowes under false pretenses, only for him to enter a room where Combs was engaged in sexual acts, which the lawsuit describes as an attempt to "psychologically break down Plaintiff's resistance and establish his submission."
Combs allegedly made inappropriate and sexually suggestive remarks about Burrowes' body and insisted that witnessing his sexual activities was part of the "culture" of the entertainment industry and a prerequisite for success. The complaint claims that these behaviors escalated to physical coercion, with Combs allegedly pinning Burrowes onto a bed in 1995, simulating intercourse until he ejaculated. Other allegations include Combs grabbing Burrowes' genitals and pressuring him to engage in sexual acts.
Burrowes also accuses Combs of continued harassment and blacklisting, stating that as recently as 2022, Combs personally contacted industry executives to warn them against working with him. The lawsuit asserts that these actions effectively cut Burrowes off from career opportunities.
More recent allegations in the complaint include an incident around 2013 or 2014, in which Combs' security detail allegedly surrounded and threatened Burrowes in New York before Combs "grabbed his buttocks and pulled him close to his body" in a simulated bearhug. Another incident allegedly occurred in 2019 at a Diana Ross birthday celebration, where Combs is accused of forcibly restraining Burrowes in a similar manner, slapping him on the rear, and groping him in front of others.
