Early this week, NBC News reported that Diddy had been named in a new sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Rodney “Lil Rod Madeit” Jones, a producer on Diddy’s album The Love Album: Off The Grid. The suit also named Diddy’s son, Justin Combs; chief of staff Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam as defendants for either aiding Diddy or failing to address complaints about his behavior.
However, as news of the suit spread, some other names mentioned in the suit piqued music fans’ interest. One of those names was Usher’s. So,
Why Was Usher Mentioned In The New Lawsuit Against Diddy?
Usher is not named as a defendant in the suit; however, a redacted excerpt caught the attention of gossip blogger DJ Akademiks, who used the provided footnotes to extrapolate the identities of the redacted names. “Mr. Combs informed Mr. Jones that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with rapper[5] (REDACTED), R&B singer[6] (REDACTED), and Stevie J,” it read. The footnotes provided background info for anyone involved who might need context for the redacted names. 5 was described as “a Philadelphia Rapper who dated Nicki Minaj,” which could only be Meek Mill, while 6 “performed at the Super Bowl and had a successful Vegas residency.”
That sure sounds like Usher, right?
Now, it’s important to remember that unless these assertions are corroborated, they should probably be taken with a massive grain of salt — actually, just throw the whole salt shaker in there. Celebrity lawsuits are often filled with lurid details to bait headlines that plaintiffs’ lawyers hope will prompt quick settlements to avoid lengthy trials and more embarrassing headlines. In Diddy’s case, although he did quickly settle his ex Cassie’s sexual assault lawsuit last year, he’s since maintained that the wave of suits that followed it was just a series of money grabs.