Last year, music producer Rodney Jones Jr.—known professionally as Lil Rod—filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging sexual assault and grooming on the part of the hip-hop mogul, as well as improper payment for his production work on Diddy’s 2023 LP, The Love Album: Off the Grid. Now, according to documents viewed by Pitchfork, a New York federal judge has dismissed five of Jones’ nine charges—including those having to do with racketeering, emotional damages, and breach of contract—while choosing to uphold his sexual assault, premises liability, and Trafficking Victims Prevention Act (TVPA) claims against Diddy and his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram.
In his original lawsuit, Jones described being drugged, forced to hire prostitutes, and made to participate in nonconsensual sex acts with them while working on The Love Album. He also claimed that he was not properly paid for his work on that record, and that Diddy, Khorram, Diddy’s son Justin Dior Combs, former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam, and Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge were all involved in a racketeering enterprise.
U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken filed his order for partial dismissal on March 24, stating that Jones’ original complaint and two subsequent amendments did not demonstrate sufficient business or property damages to constitute a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, and that there was no clear link between the Love Album non-payment claim and any suspected racketeering activity.
In his motion, the judge also described filings by Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, as “replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel.” In a statement to Pitchfork, Blackburn wrote, “A win is a win; looking forward to discovery.”
Diddy had previously filed a motion to dismiss Jones’ lawsuit entirely in August 2024. He has repeatedly demonstrated himself as unafraid to take retaliatory legal action, having recently sued both NBCUniversal Media—over the Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy—and a man who claimed to be in possession of incriminating footage from the rapper’s infamous “freak-off” parties.
Though a rape lawsuit against Diddy and Jay-Z was recently withdrawn by their anonymous accuser, the former remains accused of sexual assault, battery, grooming, and other crimes in dozens of civil lawsuits. He will stand trial on federal sex trafficking charges in May.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
https://rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741