September 25, 2025
Diddy’s mother has been cleared of a $33 million RICO lawsuit.
Janice Smalls Combs, mother of jailed music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been cleared of a $33 million federal fraud lawsuit.
On Sept. 19, a judge dismissed a multi-million-dollar RICO lawsuit against Janice, filed by Deon Best, a former associate of Diddy who accused the mogul’s mother of defrauding him of his intellectual property rights, royalties, and publishing revenues, TMZ reported. Court records show the case was dismissed because Best, also known as D1, missed the statute of limitations and failed to provide evidence of fraud by Janice or her music publishing companies.
Back in January, Best filed the suit accusing Janice of leveraging her name and influence to strip him of publishing rights and royalties for the song “Come with Me” from the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack. He claimed to have “controlled, owned, produced, and/or created” the track, but alleged Janice obtained it through illegal means, causing him significant financial and emotional harm.
He accused Janice of fraud, forgery, and concealing records, claiming he had not learned she had “hijacked artist publishing” until late 2023. An earlier complaint, where D1 also alleged Diddy’s involvement, was dismissed for lack of evidence tying Diddy to the conspiracy.
Best later filed an amended complaint excluding Diddy, seeking $33 million in damages, attorney fees, and any additional relief a jury deemed fair. But the recent ruling concluded that Best will “take nothing,” and the defendants are entitled to recover their legal costs.
Meanwhile, Janice recently submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian as part of the sentencing memorandum filed by her son’s legal team ahead of his Oct. 3 hearing. Diddy remains in custody at a Brooklyn jail on prostitution charges, as his family and loved ones have written to the judge urging leniency in his sentencing.
In her letter, Janice admits Diddy “has made some terrible mistakes in his life, which I know he recognizes.”
But she expressed her hope of being reunited with her son ahead of her 85th birthday in December.
“This separation for the past year while Sean has been incarcerated has been excruciatingly difficult and painful for me and his children,” Janice wrote. “I would like to spend the last few years of my life with my son, Sean.”
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