Diddy’s Civil Lawyers Withdraw Over Six Months of Unpaid Fees

Sher Tremonte has moved to withdraw as counsel for Sean “Diddy” Combs in his ongoing defamation suit against Nexstar Media, Ariel Mitchell, and Courtney Burgess, citing more than six months of unpaid invoices and what the firm describes as a breakdown in their professional relationship. Combs, the Bad Boy founder currently incarcerated at Fort Dix, is serving a 50-month sentence following his 2025 conviction on two counts related to prostitution transport. He was acquitted of the more sweeping sex-trafficking and racketeering allegations. According to Bureau of Prisons records, his projected release is set for February 2028.

​The defamation case centers on 2024 remarks made on Banfield’s NewsNation program, where it was alleged that Combs combined drugs with baby oil—an accusation he has denied. In their motion to withdraw, Sher Tremonte notes that Combs’ last payment covered work billed in late 2025 and that he has not engaged in substantive communication with the firm for over four months. The firm continues to represent Combs in other civil sexual-assault matters, though the status of those retainers remains uncertain. Spokesperson Juda Engelmayer characterized the split as Combs’ decision, highlighting that Jonathan Davis is already handling several other civil cases for Combs and his companies without similar issues.

​Michael Tremonte pushed back on the billing dispute, telling Rolling Stone the firm worked “zealously and very efficiently under challenging circumstances” and that unpaid invoices plus noncooperation—not inflated fees—drove the exit. Sean Combs revealed: “I made the decision to switch lawyers because I won’t let anyone take advantage of me by overcharging me and running up bills that were never approved. This is strictly a business matter, and any talk about unpaid fees is just part of our dispute over those unapproved charges.”