Sean “Diddy” Combs went after $100 million from the people behind Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy. Instead, he now owes them $477,700.50.
Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond set that figure in an order dated October 6, awarding legal fees to NBCUniversal, Peacock TV and production company Ample.
Their lawyers had asked for $990,292, but the judge found parts of the bill too high. She kept their rates in place and trimmed the hours instead.
Diddy filed the suit in February 2025, saying the Peacock film cashed in on his name with false claims about murder and sex with minors.
He took issue with how it handled the deaths of Kim Porter and Biggie, plus claims tied to Heavy D, Andre Harrell and an alleged attempt to kill Al B. Sure. An amended complaint argued the rush to finish the film came at the cost of basic fact checks.
The court didn’t buy it. In April, the judge threw out every claim, saying the film gave viewers facts to weigh, including medical records on the deaths and denials from Diddy and his legal team.
She also noted the documentary laid out some guests’ biases so audiences could judge them for themselves.
And she pointed out that Diddy had damaged his own reputation before the film ever aired, including his abuse of Cassie.
Under a New York law meant to stop weak lawsuits from silencing speech on public issues, he has to cover reasonable fees for getting the case tossed.
The timing stings. On September 29, NBC News published a report built on interviews with four men from his unit at Fort Dix, who said Diddy spent thousands a month on inmates who cooked, did his laundry, cleaned his toilet and gave him massages.
Sources told NBC that money came from people outside who paid into those inmates’ accounts. The outlet also obtained footage appearing to show him on a banned phone, along with claims about expensive liquor and a modified tablet. Prison officials would only say, “Inmates are not permitted to have access to cellphones.”
His crisis adviser Juda Engelmayer questioned the leaks themselves. “There is something odd about all of this,” he told Deadline, raising concerns about how anyone recorded him inside. TMZ reported staff sent Diddy back to solitary within about a day while they checked the claims.
He’s serving 50 months after his July 2025 convictions for transporting people across state lines for paid sex. Jurors found him not guilty on the racketeering and sex trafficking counts.
His separate $100 million fight with Nexstar, which owns NewsNation, is still alive. Judge John Cronan let one claim proceed over attorney Ariel Mitchell’s allegation that Diddy drugged someone with baby oil, and her client Courtney Burgess had a default entered against him after failing to respond. Neither result proves anyone spread lies or guarantees Diddy a payout.
Then there’s the fight with his own lawyers. Sher Tremonte asked to exit the Nexstar case in September, with Michael Tremonte saying Diddy hadn’t paid in over half a year.
Diddy says the firm billed for work he never approved, and it’s now trying to leave his case with producer Lil Rod while holding onto his files until it gets paid.
