Tony Buzbee, the high-profile Houston lawyer currently representing over 100 clients in a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been accused of extortion in a California lawsuit filed by “John Doe.”
According to the Houston Chronicle, the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Court alleges that Buzbee fabricated malicious claims of sexual assault — including accusations of rape involving minors — to coerce payments from prominent individuals. The lawsuit was filed by an anonymous individual identified as “John Doe.”
The plaintiff’s legal team, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, one of the largest law firms globally, described a “clear playbook” allegedly used by Buzbee to extort money. According to the complaint, Buzbee would fabricate claims, send letters demanding payment, and, if refused, turned to media outlets to apply public pressure. The lawsuit also accused Buzbee of seeking payments from individuals with ties to Combs.
“With Combs behind bars, and payment unlikely to be forthcoming any time soon, Defendants devised a scheme to obtain payments through the use of coercive threats from anyone with any ties to Combs — no matter how remote,” the complaint says. “Defendants specifically targeted high-profile individuals who would suffer immeasurable loss from being publicly accused of committing sex crimes, including drugging and raping minors, even if those allegations are false.”
In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, Buzbee dismissed the claims.
“We won’t allow the powerful and their high-dollar lawyers to intimidate or silence sexual assault survivors,” Buzbee said. “It is obvious that the frivolous lawsuit filed against my firm is an aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and ultimately my clients. That effort is a gross miscalculation. I am a U.S. Marine. I won’t be silenced or intimidated.”
Buzbee explained that he had sent a standard demand letter as part of the legal process on behalf of two clients alleging sexual assault. According to Buzbee, the letter was a routine request for confidential mediation and did not include demands for payment or threats.
In October, Buzbee told TMZ Live that he intended to file lawsuits against individuals linked to Combs’ controversial “Freaknik” parties and had sent demand letters to potential defendants. He stated that these letters would be publicly released when the lawsuits are filed.
