A lawyer representing music producer Rodney Jones, who accused Sean 'Diddy' Combs of sexual assault, has alleged that UMG Recordings and Motown Records were involved in funding the rapper's alleged sex trafficking activities. The lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, stated in a letter to the court that the defendants chose to partner with Combs, thereby supporting his sex trafficking operation.
Blackburn's letter was in response to UMG Recordings and Motown Records' attempt to be removed from Jones' legal proceedings following a human trafficking investigation involving Combs. Blackburn claimed that UMG Recordings did not adhere to its contract with Combs and accused Motown Records of failing to allocate a budget to Combs as per their agreement.
On the other hand, a lawyer representing the recording companies argued that Jones' inclusion of the labels in the lawsuit was an attempt to force a connection that did not exist. The legal team for UMG Recordings and Motown Records dismissed the allegations as false and salacious.
Jones initially filed a lawsuit in February accusing Combs of sexual assault and coercion into performing sex acts with prostitutes. He later amended his complaint to include allegations of sexual assault against Cuba Gooding Jr. Jones decided to drop former Motown CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam from the lawsuit.
In response to the lawsuit, Habtemariam denied any involvement in the alleged sex trafficking and labeled the accusations as vile and untrue. She also accused Jones' legal team of requesting her to sign a false declaration.
Combs' lawyer, Shawn Holley, criticized Jones' lawsuit as 'pure fiction' and described Jones as a liar seeking an undeserved financial gain. Holley emphasized that the events described in the lawsuit were fabricated and did not occur.
