Diddy Settles Legal Dispute With Diageo, No Longer Has Ties To Cîroc Or DeLeón

Diddy might be experiencing a drastic fall from grace, but he saw one slight win after settling his lawsuit with alcohol giant Diageo.

Diddy may be experiencing a drastic fall from grace, but he had one slight win after settling his lawsuit with alcohol giant Diageo.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, Sean “Diddy” Combs” and Diageo announced an end to their yearlong legal dispute over their business partnership turned sour, Variety reports. The Bad Boy founder sued Diageo, accusing the company of racism for failing to support marketing agreements for his Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila compared to the other spirit brands it owns.

Now, a joint statement confirms the business ties between both parties have been severed.

“Sean Combs and Diageo have now agreed to resolve all disputes between them. Mr. Combs has withdrawn all of his allegations about Diageo and will voluntarily dismiss his lawsuits against Diageo with prejudice,” read a statement attributed to both parties.

“Diageo and Mr. Combs have no ongoing business relationship, either with respect to Cîroc vodka or DeLeón tequila, which Diageo now solely owns.”

Combs filed the suit in the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan in May 2023, accusing Diageo of neglecting Cîroc and DeLeón and not giving it the same marketing and promotion as it did its other distributed spirit brands like Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan. The racism claims were made when Diddy accused Diageo of marketing Cîroc and DeLeón as “urban” rather than spirits for the general market.

Diddy claims Diageo treated Cîroc and DeLeón “worse than others because he is Black,” Billboard reported.

Diageo called for a dismissal of the suit. The company confirmed it would no longer work with Diddy, claiming the hip-hop mogul failed to meet his contractual obligations.

Combs has been removed from any further involvement in Cîroc and DeLeón as part of the terminated business partnership. It was 2007 when Combs Wines and Spirits struck a marketing agreement with Diageo for the marketing and promotion of Cîroc. In 2013, Diageo and Combs Wine teamed back up to co-purchase DeLeón.

The settlement between Diageo and Combs comes as Diddy faces multiple accusations of sexual assault. After quickly settling just 24 hours after his longtime romantic partner Cassie sued him in November for sexual assault, sex trafficking, and abuse, he was hit with three more lawsuits by three different women who made similar allegations. Diddy released a statement denying all allegations and vowing to clear his name in court.