In a stunning legal development, Kirk Burrowes, co-founder of the iconic Bad Boy Entertainment record label, has filed a lawsuit against Janice Combs, the mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging fraud and unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, accuses Janice Combs of secretly assuming control of Burrowes’ 25% ownership stake in the label following a 1996 incident in which Sean Combs allegedly coerced Burrowes into signing over his share under threat of physical violence.
According to the 53-page complaint, Burrowes claims he only recently discovered Janice Combs’ alleged involvement in the scheme to strip him of his ownership stake.
The lawsuit asserts that an investigation launched last year uncovered “irrefutable evidence” that Janice, identified in the filing as Janice Smalls, “secretly received and unlawfully assumed control” of Burrowes’ share in or around 1998.
Burrowes, who served as Bad Boy’s president before his dramatic ouster, alleges that Janice Combs maintained a “facade of integrity” over the years, reassuring him that she would help rectify the theft of his ownership interest.
However, he claims she instead conspired with her son to consolidate power and exclude him from the company he helped build.
“Smalls carefully maintained a facade of integrity, portraying herself as an innocent bystander while orchestrating plaintiff’s financial and professional downfall behind the scenes,” the lawsuit states, according to Rolling Stone. “Through false assurances and calculated deceit, defendant Smalls led plaintiff to believe that she had no knowledge of the fraudulent transfer, effectively suppressing any opportunity for plaintiff to reclaim his rightful stake in [Bad Boy].”
This is not the first time Burrowes has taken legal action over his disputed ownership stake. In 2006, he sued Sean Combs and attorney Kenneth Meiselas, alleging they cheated him out of $25 million.
In that lawsuit, Burrowes claimed that in May 1996, Sean Combs stormed into his office wielding a baseball bat and forced him, under duress, to sign a contract forfeiting his ownership rights. That case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations.
The new lawsuit, filed by attorney Tyrone Blackburn, argues that the statute of limitations does not apply because Burrowes only recently uncovered the alleged fraud.
It also includes claims for unjust enrichment and deceptive business practices. Burrowes is seeking compensatory damages equal to the value of his 25% ownership stake or the return of his interest in Bad Boy.
Additionally, he is requesting an independent audit of the label’s earnings since its inception and punitive damages.
Attempts to reach a lawyer or spokesperson for Janice Combs were unsuccessful at the time of publication. Meanwhile, Sean Combs remains in custody in Brooklyn, awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
The lawsuit sheds new light on the tumultuous history of Bad Boy Entertainment, a label that revolutionized hip-hop and R&B in the 1990s.
The pending legal battle it raises questions about the legacy of one of music’s most influential brands and the alleged betrayal of one of its founding figures.
