Key Takeaways
- Sean "Diddy" Combs has been ordered to pay NBCUniversal $477,700.50 in attorneys' fees after losing his defamation suit over the documentary "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy."
- The judge's award is less than half the $990,292 that NBCUniversal, Peacock and Ample Entertainment had requested, after finding some billed work excessive despite reasonable hourly rates.
- New York Supreme Court Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond dismissed Combs' lawsuit in April, ruling he failed to show reputational harm and applying the libel-proof plaintiff doctrine due to his existing legal troubles.
- Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence at Fort Dix with a release date of early 2028, raising questions about how he will pay the new fee order.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is now facing a massive court-ordered bill from the company he tried to sue.
A judge has ordered the incarcerated music mogul to pay NBCUniversal $477,700.50 in attorneys' fees, covering the network's successful defense against his defamation suit over the documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.
The final figure is less than half of what the winning side wanted. NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Ample Entertainment had asked for $990,292 to cover the full legal tab, a request that included additional work spent fending off Combs' challenge to the fee bid itself.
The judge found the hourly rates reasonable for attorneys with that level of experience, but concluded some of the billed work was excessive, which is what triggered the cut.
Combs sued NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Ample Entertainment in Feb. 2025 over the documentary, which had been released on Jan. 14.
New York Supreme Court Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond threw out every claim on Apr. 20, finding Combs had not established a "substantial basis regarding reputational harm" and describing the documentary as "carefully curated and nuanced."
The court also applied the libel-proof plaintiff doctrine, ruling that Combs' reputation had already been damaged before the film aired, pointing to the hotel surveillance video of him assaulting Cassie Ventura, his federal indictment, and the civil suits against him.
Combs is serving a 50-month sentence with a $500,000 fine following his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
The fee order lands on top of a legal tab that is already growing. His civil attorneys at Sher Tremonte moved to withdraw from his separate $100 million defamation case against Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell and Nexstar Media, saying he was more than six months behind on fees and "in substantial arrears." Combs' representative, Juda Engelmayer, called that split "strictly a business matter" involving disputed, unapproved charges and unrelated to the NBCUniversal order.
Combs was reportedly sent to Fort Dix’s special housing unit (again) following an NBC News report about alleged privileges and contraband in prison. He’s currently set to be released on Jan. 21, 2028.
