Sean Combs’ trial on sex trafficking, racketeering and other charges is still more than two months away, but his legal team continues to battle with the attorney who is representing many of his accusers.
Combs’ legal team filed a motion Tuesday to try to prevent Tony Buzbee, an attorney of the Buzbee Law Firm, from practicing in New York’s Southern District Court. The Grammy winner, entrepreneur and founder of the Sean John label was arrested in September on racketeering, sex trafficking and other charges. He is being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison in Brooklyn, as he awaits the start of his trial on May 5. Facing dozens of allegations and multiple lawsuits for alleged sexual misconduct including drugging and raping women and men, Combs has denied any wrongdoing.
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The Texas-based Buzbee has filed dozens of lawsuits for clients who have alleged varying degrees of sexual misconduct including sexual assault. A representatives for Buzbee acknowledged a media request Wednesday, but no comment was provided.
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Combs’ lawyers took action Monday with a Memorandum of Law in opposition to the plaintiff’s amended motion for admission pro hac vice for Anthony Buzbee in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. They said in a statement that they had never opposed a pro hac vice application, and they were not doing so “lightly here.” The statement alleged that Buzbee’s “egregious misconduct warrants denial of the privilege of appearing in this district. He has signed multiple filings across 22 cases without permission to practice in this court; he failed in each instance to disclose that he had filed without being admitted, and he violated New York’s Rules of Professional Conduct by, among other things, repeatedly insisting that Mr. Combs is guilty of the criminal charges pending against him in this district, even though Buzbee has no good faith basis to believe the government will call any of his clients as a witness in that case.”
Their filing noted that Buzbee attested on Jan. 22 that his “application for reciprocal admission in the Southern District of New York [was] forthcoming, but “this representation was false.” The allegations include that Buzbee “falsely accused” Combs of abusing dozens of children, when Combs has never been charged with such crimes.”
It also referenced the Feb. 13 order that was issued by the Honorable Katherine Polk Failla, chair of the committee on grievances for the Southern District of New York, that denied Buzbee’s request for admission, because after the committee’s review of the dockets, Buzbee has “appeared in cases in this court without seeking admission.”
Combs’ legal team also claimed that via “countless” media posts, media appearances and a press conference, Buzbee has “inappropriately commented on pending litigation in a manner that violates his professional and ethical obligations by, among other things, opining on Mr. Combs’ guilt on criminal charges.” The filing also alleged that Buzbee’s extrajudicial statements are “likely to prejudice” Combs’ criminal case, as they “unambiguously express opinion as to the guilt or innocence of a defendant and relate to the character, credibility, reputation…of a party, suspect in a criminal investigation.”
The 20-page filing also referenced Buzbee’s public statement that reports of him being “barred” from practicing law in New York State were “trash” and “pure bunk.” It was signed by Marc Cuccaro, Erica Wolff and Michael Tremonte of Sher Tremonte LLP.
Last week one of Combs’ lawyers Anthony Ricco filed a motion to step down, noting that “under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Combs.”
On Feb. 14, Buzbee filed a motion to dismiss the civil case against Jay-Z and Combs for allegedly raping a 13-year-old female at a party after the 2000 MTV Music Awards. The suit had first been filed against Combs in November and Jay-Z’s name was added to it in mid-December.
Last month Combs filed a $100 million lawsuit against NBCUniversal for its Peacock documentary “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy,” which debuted on the streaming service in January.