Tyrone Blackburn, an attorney who filed one of the sexual abuse lawsuits against Sean "Diddy" Combs, could face discipline due to his filings that had "glaring deficiencies."
On Wednesday, April 3, Judge Denise Cote issued an order in a separate lawsuit referring Blackburn to the federal court district's grievance committee in New York. The judge criticized the lawyer, who is up against the embattled rap mogul, for filing lawsuits designed to get the public and media attention and "embarrass defendants."
Attorney Who Filed Sean "Diddy" Combs' Lawsuit Condemned Over His Conduct
In the order cited by Billboard, Judge Cote said the grievance committee would determine whether he violated court rules after finding out that Blackburn showed such conduct in five different lawsuits.
"A reasonable inference from Blackburn's pattern of behavior is that he improperly files cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly," the judge noted. "Indeed, his submissions to this court have been rife with disturbing allegations against the defendants and defense counsel."
The Southern District of New York will share the ruling soon.
Blackburn is currently representing Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, a producer who named Diddy in his sexual abuse lawsuit filed in February. The plaintiff alleged the embattled music mogul "forcibly touched and attempted and/or threatened to touch (Jones') intimate areas and/or touched (Jones) with his own intimate body parts" while they were working on the album, The Love Album: Off the Grid.
Aside from Diddy, the record executive's associates reportedly participated in a s-- trafficking venture.
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Tyrone Blackburn Issues a Statement
After Judge Cote's ruling, Blackburn sent an email to Billboard in which he questioned the order's relevance to Lil Rod's case and the other suits he has.
"This will not have any impact on my ability to proceed in Mr. Jones' case. Although Judge Cote's decision was a referral to the SDNY's grievance committee, and not a sanction, I plan on appealing the decision," he went on.
Universal Music Group attorneys took a similar aim at Blackburn when they said the claims involving CEO Lucian Grainge were "offensively false." They also declared they would punish Blackburn for filing them under federal Rule 11, which requires lawyers to make a "reasonable inquiry" in the cases they take.
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