photo courtesy of NBC News
Sean Combs, more commonly known as Diddy, filed a lawsuit against the spirits company Diageo North America on Wednesday, May 31. The 53-year-old entrepreneur accused the company of giving his vodka and tequila brands – Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila – fewer resources than other brands they owned because they considered them “inferior urban products.”
The lawsuit, filed with the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, alleged that Diageo told him that being Black caused them to distribute his products less to urban neighborhoods. Combs expressed that he felt that many of the company’s executives resented him for his financial success and discriminated against his company.
The lawsuit read, “Cloaking itself in the language of diversity and equality is good for Diageo’s business, but it is a lie. While Diageo may conspicuously include images of its Black partners in advertising materials and press releases, its words only provide the illusion of inclusion.”
For the discrimination that he allegedly faced, Combs is seeking over a billion dollars for damages and losses incurred since he partnered with the company in 2007 after being approached for his Ciroc vodka line.
Diageo wasted no time denying all the allegations against them, as further reported by AP. The company said in a statement, “This is a business dispute, and we are saddened that Mr. Combs has chosen to recast this matter as anything other than that.”
“While we respect Mr. Combs as an artist and entrepreneur, his allegations lack merit, and we are confident the facts will show that he has been treated fairly.”
The spirits company reportedly owns over 200 different brands of alcohol.