Diddy is pushing hard for a court win he needs right now, filing for a default judgment against Courtney Burgess after the man failed to respond to a massive defamation lawsuit.
Burgess had claimed he possessed eleven flash drives containing sex tapes allegedly involving celebrities and minors at Diddy’s infamous “freak off” parties, but Burgess never showed up to defend himself in court.
Diddy’s legal team is now asking the judge to rule in his favor by default, which would hand him a victory without ever having to prove his case.
The situation stems from Burgess’s 2024 interview with NewsNation, where he claimed he received the flash drives from Kim Porter, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, who died in 2018.
Diddy initially sued Burgess for $50 million in January 2025 on defamation charges, then amended the complaint to seek $100 million just eight months later, claiming severe reputational harm from what he calls “outlandish claims.”
The timing of this legal move reveals how much Diddy needs a win.
Just days before filing for default judgment, a New York judge dismissed his $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBC and Peacock over the documentary “Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy.”
That loss stung, especially as Diddy continues fighting his conviction on two counts of interstate transportation for prostitution, which landed him a four-year prison sentence in July 2025.
His legal team has been working overtime, arguing that his “freak off” parties were merely “choreographed performances” protected by the First Amendment, not criminal activity.
Diddy is currently incarcerated and scheduled for release on April 15, 2028, though his lawyers have been pushing for immediate acquittal or at a minimum a reduced sentence.
The default judgment against Burgess represents one of the few legal opportunities where Diddy might actually get the outcome he’s seeking, even if it doesn’t address his underlying criminal conviction or help him leave prison any sooner.