Diddy Accused By Diageo Of Working Against Other Black-Owned Businesses

Diddy and liquor company Diageo are locked in a nasty lawsuit right now, with both alleging mismanagement, a poor working relationship, and lack of support against each other. Moreover, Sean Combs sued the spirits conglomerate back in May of 2023, with whom he masterminded Ciroc vodka in 2007 and DeLeón tequila in 2013. While Ciroc was a resounding success for both, DeLeón was less so, and his lawsuit alleged that Diageo was racist in promoting Ciroc and DeLeón to solely urban markets, instead favoring white-backed brands like George Clooney's Casamigos. However, now the company claims that Puff Daddy, through his Combs Wine and Spirits company (CWS) that partnered with them, engaged in some racial discrimination of his own despite his philanthropic image.

Furthermore, according to legal documents obtained by AllHipHop, Diageo stated that Diddy "discouraged Diageo from working with other Black business people and influencers. [He] demanded that Diageo redirect millions of dollars earmarked to support such causes to him personally." Not only that, but they claim that the Bad Boy mogul went ballistic when the company donated $100 million to COVID-19 hospital workers.

Diddy At The Oscars

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Sean 'Diddy' Combs speaks onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

"Mr. Combs demanded that Diageo pay him $100 million," the company levied in their most recent filing. [He] threatened then to ‘reach out to every news outlet’ to ‘burn the house down’ and cause maximum damage to Diageo and the DeLeón brand by making public accusations of racism if Diageo refused to write the check." Overall, the history between these two entities is long, contentious, and skewed in both's eyes. Despite this pushback, Diddy's lawyer John C. Hueston dismissed all accusations against him by the liquor company in a statement to AllHipHop on Friday (September 29).

"Diageo claims its executives were available to hear all of Mr. Combs concerns about race and diversity issues," Hueston began. "The sad truth is that they never truly listened to what Mr. Combs was saying and brushed them off as threats and demands for money. If they had actually taken the time to comprehend his concerns, and lived up to the agreements they signed, we wouldn’t be in court today." For more news and the latest updates on Diddy, come back to HNHH.

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