Overview
- New York Supreme Court Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond dismissed the case in a Monday order, tossing all claims over Peacock’s 2025 documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.
- The judge said the film could not further damage Combs’ standing because his reputation was already tarnished by lawsuits, a domestic-violence video, heavy press coverage, and a federal indictment, citing his own sentencing remark that he had “totally destroyed” it.
- The court found NBCUniversal did not act with gross irresponsibility under New York law because the film disclosed interviewees’ biases and included on-camera denials from Combs’ attorneys.
- The order noted the documentary relied on objective records, including coroner and autopsy reports that show Kim Porter died of pneumonia and that Heavy D and Andre Harrell died of natural causes.
- NBC’s lead lawyer praised the decision as a First Amendment win for filmmakers and journalists, and Combs remains in federal prison on a 50-month Mann Act sentence while he pursues appeals.