The law firm Sher Tremonte has withdrawn from representing American rapper Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, citing unpaid bills and a complete breakdown in communication with the client. The attorneys filed the corresponding motion in court, according to infohub.kz.
The firm had represented Combs in a high-profile defamation case valued at more than $100 million. According to the lawyers, the rapper had not paid fees or covered court costs and other expenses for over six months.
"Combs failed to pay a significant balance of fees, costs, and expenses," firm partner Michael Tremonte told The Guardian.
In addition, the lawyers say that over the past four months, P. Diddy avoided timely and substantive negotiations. As a result, the collaboration effectively fell apart, and the attorneys can no longer effectively defend his interests.
Combs himself claims that he was the first to decide to change his legal team. The rapper accused the firm of overcharging and issuing bills that were not agreed upon with him. Sher Tremonte rejected these claims.
Combs's lawsuit was filed against music manager Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell, and media company Nexstar, which owns the television channel NewsNation. The rapper accuses them of spreading false claims about alleged recordings of sexual abuse involving celebrities and minors.
P. Diddy is currently serving a 50-month sentence. A jury acquitted him of racketeering and sex trafficking charges but found him guilty on two counts of transporting people for prostitution.