Sean “Diddy” Combs and his mother, Janice Combs, are facing explosive new legal allegations in a lawsuit filed by Kirk Burrowes, co-founder and former president of Bad Boy Entertainment.
Burrowes claims he was forced at intimidation to relinquish his 25% stake in the iconic label nearly three decades ago, marking the latest in a cascade of legal troubles for the hip-hop mogul.
The suit, filed in New York, alleges that in 1996, Diddy and his then-attorney Kenneth Meiselas confronted Burrowes in his office, with Diddy wielding a baseball bat to pressure him into signing over his shares to Janice Combs. Burrowes asserts the incident led to his financial ruin and effectively blacklisted him from the music industry. He now seeks to reclaim his ownership stake and compensation for lost earnings, estimated to total millions over 28 years.
This lawsuit surfaces amid Diddy’s mounting legal battles, including a federal sex trafficking investigation and a separate racketeering lawsuit filed in May by producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. Janice Combs, who has publicly defended her son, calling him “innocent of all charges,” is now directly implicated in Burrowes’ claims. Legal experts note the challenge of proving decades-old allegations, particularly without corroborating evidence beyond testimony.
“Coercion claims from the ’90s hinge on witness credibility and documentation,” said entertainment attorney Candace Owens (no relation to the commentator), who is unaffiliated with the case. “But if proven, this could unravel legacy deals and reshape Bad Boy’s financial history.”
Bad Boy Entertainment, launched in 1993, became a hip-hop powerhouse under Diddy’s leadership, launching stars like Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans. Burrowes, an early architect of the label’s business strategy, alleges his ouster was orchestrated to consolidate control. The suit claims Janice Combs—long a behind-the-scenes figure—gained his shares through the pressured transaction, though her direct involvement in the alleged coercion remains unclear.
Diddy’s legal team has yet to respond publicly, but sources close to the mogul dismiss the suit as a “money grab” amid his high-profile woes. Meanwhile, Burrowes’ filing underscores a broader reckoning over hip-hop’s gritty business lore, where verbal agreements and street tactics often clashed with corporate governance.
As courts weigh these claims, the case spotlights the enduring legal and ethical shadows cast by the industry’s golden era—and whether past practices will haunt its icons in an age of accountability.
