Sean “Diddy” Combs, a music producer and musician, is suing the spirits company Diageo, alleging it of breaching their business agreement and failing to invest in his liquor brands on the basis of his race.
The complaint, which was filed Wednesday with the New York Supreme Court, asserts that despite Diageo’s public promotion of itself as a diversity leader, Combs and his company discovered that the company was unwilling to treat its Black partners equally.
Combs claimed that Diageo “kneecapped” his Ciroc Vodka and DeLeon Tequila brands by depriving them of resources because they were “pigeonholed” as “Black brands” intended only for “urban” customers.
“In an industry where production, distribution, and sales are the pillars of success, Ciroc and DeLeon lack resources for all three.”
Diageo denied the allegations in an emailed statement to AFP and described its 15-year partnership with Combs as “productive and mutually beneficial.”
A spokesperson stated, “This is a business dispute, and we are disappointed that Mr. Combs has recast it as something else.”
We take our commitment to diversity in the workplace and in the communities we serve very seriously. We unequivocally refute the allegations and will defend ourselves vigorously in the proper forum.”
The lawsuit also asserted that the UK-based beverages behemoth gave more attention and greater support to other celebrity-backed competing brands, such as George Clooney’s Casamigos and Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin, while failing to fulfill its commitments for investments in Combs Wines and Spirits.
“Diageo has treated Mr. Combs and his brands worse than others because he is Black,” the lawsuit states, adding that one of the company’s managers “directly acknowledged the company’s racist undertones in 2019.”
According to the lawsuit, the manager told Combs that “race was part of the reason why Diageo limited the neighborhoods where the Combs brands were distributed,” and that if he were “Martha Stewart” things would be different.
Grammy-winning rapper Combs, also known as Puff Daddy, P Diddy, and Diddy, stated in his complaint that he intends to pursue billions of dollars in damages from Diageo in future legal proceedings.
Diageo said in a statement that it was “disappointed that our efforts to resolve this business dispute amicably have been ignored.”
“While we respect Mr. Combs as an artist and entrepreneur, his claims are without merit, and we are confident that the facts will demonstrate that he has been treated fairly.”
