Diddy Accuses Sean John Of Stealing His Image In $25 Million Lawsuit

Diddy has reportedly entered another legal battle with Sean John.

Source: Alexander Tamargo / Getty

In the $25 million suit, the music mogul is accusing the brand and its owner, GBG USA, of falsely attributing a quote to him in order to promote a new clothing line.

According to reports from AllHipHop, his complaint–which was filed in Manhattan on Thursday–says that Sean John created a new collaborative line with Missguided and in the promotion materials, the company illegally used Diddy’s image, likeness, and persona without his consent.

Back in 1998, Diddy launched Sean John, later selling it to Global Brands Group in 2016. All these years later, he claims that he never endorsed the Missguided collaboration, nor did he give Sean John, Missguided, or GBG permission to use his name. Still, the companies released some quotes to make it appear as if he was connected to the new Sean John x Missguided collection.

“[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,” Diddy’s lawyer Jonathan D. Davis said.

Diddy goes on to say that the brands used his image in a short advertisement to promote the new line.

“[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,” Davis added.

This new lawsuit comes just a month after Diddy reportedly filed his first lawsuit against Sean John over the trademark for the phrase “Vote Or Die.” In that complaint, the entrepreneur alleges that Sean John and GBG have illegally used and trademarked the phrase, selling merchandise bearing the famous slogan during the presidential election.