Diddy Scores Major Win In Ongoing Battle Against Diageo For Alleged Racial Discrimination, Judge Throws Out Company’s Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit

Diddy

Diddy Scores Major Win In Ongoing Battle Against Diageo For Alleged Racial Discrimination, Judge Throws Out Company’s Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit

It Looks like Diddy will see his day in court against giant liquor corporation Diageo after all!

According to reports, a judge recently ruled that despite the company’s efforts, the case can move forward.

Diddy

As we’ve been covering, Diddy, real name Sean Combs, took legal action against the spirit distributor Diageo PLC, who he partnered with to produce his popular Ciroc Vodka and Deleon Tequila. In the suit, the 53-year-old accused the company of discriminatory practices, claiming they failed to market his alcoholic beverages with the same efforts as other products they distribute not owned by people of color. Additionally, the musician said his former partners racially profiled his merchandise by labeling them as “urban.” He also claimed the company underfunded the drinks and stunted their growth by not promoting Ciroc Vodka and Deleon Tequila in a general market.

Diageo publicly responded to the suit, denying all allegations and reversely arguing that any failures the brand was suffering from were on Diddy. According to the British alcoholic company, Diddy only invested $1,000 into their $100 million partnership.

They also claimed that they repeatedly tried to work things out with the mogul to no avail. Following their comments, the company motioned a court judge to drop the suit altogether. However, the legal official has reportedly denied their request, giving the green light for the case to proceed.

Reportedly, Judge Joel M. Cohen made this decision last week on September 7th. It’s noted that he rejected Diageo’s request because he found Diddy,

“made appropriate claims concerning issues that needed to be addressed by way of injunctive relief”

Diageo reportedly released a dissatisfied statement following the judge’s ruling that read:

“While we are disappointed with today’s procedural decision, it is important to underscore that this is not a ruling on the merits of the claims, which we maintain are false and baseless. We are currently considering all legal options.”

Diddy’s lawyers reportedly released a statement as well, adding:

“This case has always been about getting fair and equal treatment. Today’s decision is an important step in the right direction. Diageo tried to end this action. Today the judge soundly rejected that effort.”

It does not appear Diddy himself has commented on the decision publicly at this time. We will continue to update as the story moves forward.

[VIA]

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