Diddy is going on the offensive against attorney Tony Buzbee, accusing the controversial figure of professional misconduct, unauthorized practice of law, and various violations of court rules. The move comes after Buzbee filed dozens of lawsuits on behalf of clients accusing Diddy of alleged sexual misconduct in the Southern District of New York. Diddy's lawyers said Buzbee doesn't even have authorization to practice law in the state of New York. When this happens, a lawyer will typically get a judge to sign off on a pro hac vice; however, Buzbee allegedly didn't do this before filing. Now that he is trying to, Diddy's team is speaking out in opposition.
“In our collective decades of practice, undersigned counsel have never opposed a pro hac vice application, and we do not do so lightly here,” Diddy’s legal team stated in the filing as caught by AllHipHop. “But Buzbee’s egregious misconduct warrants denial of the privilege of appearing in this District.” They also complain about Buzbee discussing the Bad Boy mogul's alleged guilt in his criminal trial, despite his lack of involvement in the case. “Even though none of Mr. Buzbee’s clients is expected to testify at Mr. Combs’ criminal trial,” the lawyers continued. “Mr. Buzbee’s extrajudicial statements here are likely to prejudice Mr. Combs’ criminal case as they unambiguously express ‘opinion as to the guilt or innocence of a defendant.’”
Who Is Tony Buzbee?
Tony Buzbee has led a number of high-profile cases over the years. He previously represented several women alleging sexual misconduct against Deshaun Watson. He also represented the familes of victims of those who died or were injured during Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival crowd crush in 2021. Diddy isn't the only one taking aim at Tony Buzbee. Jay-Z also recently launched legal action of his own after Buzbee represented a client who accused him and Diddy of allegedly raping her back in 2000. While she's since dropped the case voluntarily, Jay-Z still decided to file a defamation lawsuit against her attorney. He claims the false allegations cost him millions of dollars.
After the anonymous woman dropped the allegations, Jay said in a statement: "Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed."
[Via]
