Lil Rod, who came forward and began a lawsuit against rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs earlier this year, is dropping a key group of defendants from the high-profile case.
Rod accused Universal Music Group and its chairman, Sir Lucian Grainge, of having involvement in his alleged abuse. He claims that Grainge and the label "aided and abetted" Combs.
The producer has now taken a step back and withdrawn Grainge, UMG and Motown Recordings -- also known as the "UMG Defendants"-- from the suit. The defendants were "dismissed with prejudice" and the case cannot be refiled against them.
The UMG Defendants argue that they are not responsible for an artist's behavior, writing that the accusations against them are "lacking in any legally cognizable basis."
"Every claim is premised on the untenable strict liability theory that when one enters into a commercial contract, the payor under that contract becomes liable for anything that the recipient of payment does with the payment," reads a statement brought forward by the defendants when they initially tried to remove themselves from the case.
"There is no law underpinning such theory and the baseless 'general business partnership' allegation in the [second amended complaint] provides no support," they continued.
Tyrone Blackburn, Rod's attorney, filed a statement in court on May 13, stating, "Based on my examination of all of the papers submitted in support of both motions to dismiss, which addressed the issues I had, I have concluded that there is no legal basis for the claims and allegations that were made against the UMG Defendants."
He continued, saying that he had "determined that the proper course of action is for all of the claims and all of the allegations [against the UMG Defendants] to be withdrawn immediately."
In their initial attempt to dismiss the case, the UMG Defendants argued that the claims against them are "entirely bereft of legal merit and should be dismissed with prejudice."
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Rod worked for Combs from September 2022 until November 2023; he produced several songs on Combs' 2023 album, The Love Album: Off the Grid. Rod filed his suit in February of this year, claiming that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him throughout their time working together.
He claims that he was the "victim of constant unsolicited and unauthorized groping and touching of his anus by Mr. Combs."
He further alleges that he was "subjected to unwanted advances by associates of Diddy at his direction" and was also forced to have "relations" with sex workers. He described Combs as "engaging in serious illegal activity" and hosting "sex-tracking parties" filled with "illegal drugs." Rod claims that these parties were often filled with underage girls, and hinted that record label executives willingly ignored this behavior in exchange for social access.
Rod is not dropping his case against Combs.
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