Diddy’s Lawyers Want Out of $100M Defamation Case, Cite 6 Months of Unpaid Fees

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are asking to walk away from his $100 million defamation lawsuit against NewsNation owner Nexstar Media, telling a federal judge that he has gone more than six months without paying legal fees and that their relationship has suffered a “total breakdown in cooperation and communication.”

Combs is pushing back, saying he chose to change lawyers after disputing bills he claims were never approved. The clash comes as his defamation case continues after surviving dismissal in part earlier this month.

Michael Tremonte, Erica Wolff and Katie Renzler of Sher Tremonte LLP filed the withdrawal request Monday in Manhattan federal court. The firm says Combs is in “substantial arrears” and that his last payment covered fees and expenses incurred in late 2025.

The filing also says Combs has gone more than four months without making himself available for direct, substantive discussions about his cases, leaving the attorneys unable to obtain instructions needed to continue representing him.

Combs framed the split as a billing dispute rather than a failure to pay.

“I made the decision to switch lawyers because I won’t let anyone take advantage of me by overcharging me and running up bills that were never approved,” Combs said in a statement released through spokesperson Juda Engelmayer. He described the dispute as “strictly a business matter.”

Tremonte rejected that account, saying the firm represented Combs “zealously and very efficiently under challenging circumstances” and was seeking to withdraw because of overdue invoices and a breakdown in cooperation.

The dispute comes at a consequential point in Combs’ lawsuit against Nexstar, attorney Ariel Mitchell and Courtney Burgess. Combs sued over statements aired on NewsNation’s “Banfield” program in 2024, including an allegation that he used drug-laced baby oil to incapacitate someone.

U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan recently dismissed most of Combs’ allegations against Nexstar but allowed the baby oil claim to proceed. Mitchell’s motion to dismiss was denied, while Burgess previously failed to respond and had a certificate of default entered against him.

The surviving claims had moved the lawsuit into its next phase, with the parties considering mediation or a settlement conference before the representation dispute surfaced.

Sher Tremonte’s withdrawal request applies to the Nexstar case. The firm has also represented Combs in several civil sexual assault lawsuits, although the current filing does not seek withdrawal from those matters.

A federal judge must approve the attorneys’ request before they can formally leave the case. Courts typically consider unpaid fees and a serious breakdown in communication when deciding whether continued representation has become unreasonably difficult.

Combs is serving a 50-month federal prison sentence after a jury convicted him in 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.

The attorney dispute now adds another complication to the $100 million defamation case as Combs challenges the firm’s account of the unpaid bills and Sher Tremonte seeks permission to end its representation.