Diddy is taking Sean John to court.
The hip-hop mogul has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the fashion brand he founded, along with the company’s owner GBG USA. According to AllHipHop, Sean John launched a new women’s clothing line with retailer Missguided and illegally used Diddy’s image, likeness, and persona without his permission.
Diddy sold Sean John to Global Brands Group in 2016. In the lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan on Thursday (Feb. 4), he claims Sean John, Missguided, and GBG fabricated quotes to make it seem as if he was involved with the Sean John x Missguided line for women. However, Diddy claims the companies manipulated the press with false statements attributed to him.
“[Diddy] does not challenge [Sean John/GBG’s] right to use the Sean John trademark, but rather [Sean John/GBG’s] decision to leverage a fabricated quote they created and then falsely attributed to Mr. Combs, and to use Mr. Combs’s name and other monikers to create the false and misleading impression that Mr. Combs is the decision-maker behind the designs and creation of the GBG Collection,” said Diddy’s lawyer Jonathan Davis.
Additionally, Diddy says his image was featured in a 40-second Sean John/Missguided video ad campaign. He wants the public to know that he is no longer associated with the clothing brand he founded in 1998.
“[Sean John, GBG and Missguided] are using the Unapproved Material, which contains false or misleading representations of fact, to promote and sell the items in the GBG Collection because they understand that associating it with Mr. Combs will significantly increase sales and profits,” added Davis.
This is the second legal battle between Diddy and Sean John in the last 30 days. Diddy is also suing Sean John over the trademark for the phrase “Vote Or Die,” alleging that Sean John/GBG illegally used and trademarked the phrase to sell Sean John merch online during the presidential election.