Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2023 Thaddeus McAdams/WireImage
Sean Combs’ civil lawyers dropped him as a client, citing six months of unpaid legal fees and an increasingly strained relationship with the Bad Boy founder, which court documents describe as a “complete breakdown of cooperation and communication.”
Lawyers at the New York firm Sher Tremonte filed papers Monday asking to recuse themselves from serving as Combs’ legal representative in the defamation case against NewsNation’s parent company and two individuals. Combs sued Nexstar Media, attorney Ariel Mitchell and her client Courtney Burgess over allegations made in 2024 on the NewsNation show “Banfield” that alleged Combs mixed drugs with baby oil. (Combs has vehemently denied this claim.)
The lawyers argued that Combs, who is currently serving a 50-month sentence after being convicted of prostitution-related offenses last summer, was “substantially in arrears” in paying legal fees to the law firm and that “his most recent payment is for fees and expenses incurred at the end of 2025,” according to a four-page filing obtained by the lawyers. Rolling Stone.
Additionally, the law firm alleges that Combs’ representation was “unreasonably impeded by Mr. Combs’ lack of cooperation” and that Combs refused “to be available for timely, substantive and direct communication regarding his matters for more than four months.”
Cher Tremonte’s attorneys are also representing Combs in several civil sexual assault lawsuits filed against the music mogul. It is unclear whether the firm will withdraw from these cases.
In a statement provided Rolling Stone Through his representative, Judah Engelmayer, Combs suggested that it was a mutual decision to split, citing allegations that he did not agree with. “I made the decision to change attorneys because I will not allow anyone to take advantage of me by overcharging me and pushing bills that were never approved,” Combs said. “This is purely a business matter and any talk of unpaid duties is just part of our dispute regarding these unapproved payments.”
Michael Tremonte, partner at Sher Tremonte, said in a statement. Rolling Stone that the firm “zealously and very effectively represented Mr. Combs in difficult circumstances. As stated in our court filings, we are declining to represent him because he failed to pay his long-overdue bills and refused to cooperate. Any suggestion that we overcharged him is simply false.”
Cher Tremonte’s filing noted that Combs’ confidant is Robin Greenhill, his accountant at Tri Star Sports & Entertainment. In 2021, Greenhill’s name became known as being involved in the contested conservatorship of Britney Spears. She reportedly kept a tight rein on the pop star’s finances, helped monitor her electronics and gave the singer medications. New York Times.
In January, Greenhill and Tree Star were also named in a lawsuit filed by another group of lawyers representing Combs in California. In the complaint, which was later dismissed, Summa LLP lawyers said the firm and Greenhill “failed to pay $53,688.35 in legal fees and costs” in connection with a sexual assault lawsuit filed against Combs’ adult son Christian.
Combs is currently serving his sentence at Fort Dix, a maximum security federal facility in New Jersey. The 56-year-old is currently scheduled for release in February 2028, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Last July, Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution as part of a sweeping sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy case. He was acquitted of these charges.
A spokesman for Combs said attorney Jonathan Davis is representing Combs and his companies in several other civil cases and “has encountered no resistance from the client in his defense.”
“The challenges of representing an incarcerated client are always difficult, but never insurmountable. Mr. Davis said he “continues to undauntedly defend Mr. Combs because he is confident that the truth will be revealed” and that his client will be exonerated,” Engelmayer added.
From Rolling Stone USA.
