Diddy Faces Lawsuit Over "Act Bad": Report

Diddy is facing a new lawsuit from a man named Charles Kenyatta Jr., who is accusing the Bad Boy Records founder of trademark infringement and breach of contract in New York. In court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Kenyatta Jr., who is an inmate at Collins Correctional Facility, says Diddy infringed upon his trademark on “Act Bad," by releasing a song by the same name, last year.

Kenyatta Jr. says Diddy stopped responding to emails from his lawyer after bringing up the trademark. “Sean Combs made a song called ‘ACT BAD’ and wanted to [sell] Act Bad merchandise, a percentage of the net profits for recorded song and music video, also a percentage of merchandise T-shirts, hats, etc.” Kenyatta explained in the filing. The filing adds that, being in jail, Kenyatta Jr. couldn't sign the contract and therefore, Diddy should've forwarded it to his Power of Attorney. "Secondly, it was another person’s name on the contract that had to be removed. The percentage was not of Plaintiff’s liking, there was no upfront or advance monetary and it was a bunch of miscellaneous things plaintiff wanted to remove off contract.”

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 20: Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Sean "Diddy" Combs Fulfills $1 Million Pledge To Howard University At Howard Homecoming – Yardfest at Howard University on October 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean "Diddy" Combs)

He further argued: “The defendant Sean Combs and John Doe had a scheme to illegally squeeze out Plaintiff Charles Kenyatta Jr. from the contract. Plaintiff’s lawyer told Defendant Sean Comb’s lawyer John Doe has no ownership of Act Bad and should not be on the contract. A few weeks after that the defendant Sean Combs and John Doe were on stage performing the song ‘Act Bad’ together. After defendant Sean Combs and John Doe signed contract without Charles Kenyatta Jr.’s consent, the defendant Sean Combs use of trademark caused confusion as to the affiliation, connection.” Check out Diddy's music video for "Act Bad" below.

It's the latest in a number of lawsuits Diddy has been facing as of late. During 2023, several women came forward with accusations of sexual abuse against him. He's denied any and all wrongdoing on social media. Be on the lookout for further updates on Diddy on HotNewHipHop.

About The Author

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.