In a rare move, Sean “Diddy” Combs has launched a legal offensive as he battles dozens of sexual assault lawsuits and will soon go to trial for allegedly operating a “criminal enterprise” that involved sex trafficking.

In a lawsuit filed in New York federal court Wednesday, Combs said he was defamed by a man who allegedly testified in front of a grand jury for Combs’ federal criminal case.

The lawsuit named Courtney Burgess, Burgess’ attorney Ariel Mitchell and NewsNation, the broadcaster that aired an interview with the two in October, as defendants. Burgess has alleged in public appearances that he possessed videos purportedly showing Combs sexually assaulting minors, including celebrities.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is taking a stand against the malicious falsehoods that have been fabricated and amplified by individuals seeking to profit at his expense,” Erica Wolff, one of Combs’ attorneys, said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.

“These defendants have willfully fabricated and disseminated outrageous lies with reckless disregard for the truth. Their falsehoods have poisoned public perception and contaminated the jury pool,” the statement continued. “This complaint should serve as a warning that such intentional falsehoods, which undermine Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial, will no longer be tolerated.”

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TMZ was first to report the news. USA TODAY has reached out to Mitchell and NewsNation for comment.

Combs is currently in jail after being denied bond multiple times and is scheduled to head to trial for his sex trafficking and racketeering charges on May 5. He has maintained his innocence amid more than two dozen civil lawsuits over the past year that have accused him of rape, trafficking and sexual abuse from the 1990s to 2024.

Diddy seeks $50 million in defamation lawsuit

Combs’ lawsuit alleges there are “no such tapes” showing Combs sexually assaulting people at his so-called “freak offs,” making the defendants’ claims “false and defamatory.”

The hip-hop mogul is seeking $50 million in damages and says Burgess and Mitchell’s claims about having “freak off” footage has “poisoned the minds” of people who might serve on Combs’ jury when his trial starts.

“The unrelenting tide of negative publicity and threatening social media posts resulting from Defendants’ lies have caused and will continue to cause Mr. Combs severe reputational harm,” his lawsuit reads.

As Burgess appeared on NewsNation’s “Banfield” in October, host Ashleigh Banfield said he’d recently testified before a grand jury and claimed to have received 11 flash drives that belonged to Combs’ late ex-girlfriend Kim Porter, which allegedly contained eight videos showing celebrities being victims of sex crimes. By law, grand jury proceedings must be kept confidential, though a witness is free to discuss their testimony in public.

Peacock doc’s claims:‘Making the Band’ alum accuses Diddy of ‘inappropriate’ touching

Combs’ lawsuit also mentioned the Peacock documentary “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy,” which released Jan. 14, and said “Mitchell repeated these known lies” about the “freak off” footage in the film.

“Defendants had no good faith basis for claiming that Burgess possessed videos of Mr. Combs involved in the sexual assault of anyone. Burgess purposefully made up the videos and told hideous lies about Mr. Combs, and Mitchell and NewsNation either knew that Burgess’s claims were false or made no effort to verify the truth of those false claims,” the lawsuit says.

Combs, who pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges in September, “emphatically and unequivocally denies the charges against him, and is preparing to contest the government’s evidence” at trial, the lawsuit says.

The filing adds: “Mr. Combs has faith in the integrity of the judicial system and is confident the jury will acquit him.”

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.