Ethiopia Habtemariam, the storied former chairperson and CEO of Motown Records, has taken a stand against allegations connecting her to serious accusations alongside Diddy (real name Sean Combs).
The controversy surrounding the high profile, $30 million lawsuit has seen Habtemariam actively refute claims made by producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones that she would testify against Diddy.
Emphasizing the falsehoods propagated by Jones’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, Habtemariam has categorically denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of misconduct by Diddy.
“I am informed and believe that Mr. Blackburn has falsely represented to various social media sites and other media outlets that I agreed to ‘testify against’ Mr. Combs,” Habtemariam said. “This is completely untrue. I have no personal knowledge of any alleged wrongdoing by Mr. Combs and there is nothing I could testify to that would be against his interest.”
The lawsuit had placed her among those accused of engaging in illegal activities such as trafficking sex workers, distributing drugs and participating in an alleged “RICO enterprise” with Diddy and other defendants. The accusations specifically mentioned that Habtemariam was aware of drug-laced alcohol being served at listening parties hosted by Diddy.
The serious charges targeted her professional integrity and implicated her in highly questionable activities. Blackburn’s decision to drop Habtemariam from the lawsuit has brought her partial relief.
“Being falsely accused of criminal conduct is deeply upsetting to me,” Habtemariam said. “I did no wrong. I never saw or participated in any alleged racketeering enterprise, and I never saw, aided or, abetted, or tried to conceal any sex trafficking activity.
“In short, there is no basis for any of the claims asserted against me, and I should never have been named a defendant in this lawsuit.”
Despite the dismissal, the damage to Habtemariam’s reputation has prompted her to speak out fiercely against the assertion that she’d ever witnessed or engaged in any form of racketeering or sex trafficking.
Habtemariam’s fight to clear her name saw her challenge Blackburn’s narrative.
“My counsel provided a revised declaration that addressed the topics that Mr. Blackburn addressed and corrected his false narrative,” she said. “I am aware that Mr. Blackburn found my truthful version to be unsatisfactory to him and he presented yet another version that again presented a false narrative.”
Finally, Blackburn accepted a revised version based on Habtemariam’s versions of events, which he accepted and eventually dropped her from the lawsuit. Habtemariam expressed relief at being dismissed from the case. She said she was determined to defend her reputation against the baseless accusations.