*Attorney Antonio Moore looks at the collapse of Black businesses around the internet. From Sean “Diddy” Combs suing Diageo owner of his Ciroq brand. To the Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy’s real estate accusations. And the Shark Tank dispute involving Daymond Jones and a Black business owner around a BBQ recipe.
Here’s background info on the Diddy/Diageo lawsuit:
*Sean “Diddy” Combs is taking Diageo to court, accusing the British multinational spirits company of not financially backing his DeLeón tequila brand it co-owns with the music mogul and entrepreneur. Combs charges Diageo with racial discrimination; the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, states the company categorized DeLeón as “urban” and described it as a “Black brand,” reports the WSJ.
Instead, Combs claims that Diageo commercially spearheaded two other tequilas, including Casamigos, the George Clooney-backed brand that Diageo agreed to purchase in 2017 at a $1 billion valuation. Diageo denies the hip-hop star’s assertions and issued a statement.
“This is a business dispute, and we are saddened that Mr. Combs has chosen to recast this matter as anything other than that,” a company spokeswoman said to WSJ. “Our steadfast commitment to diversity within our company and the communities we serve is something we take very seriously.”
Combs’ lawyers want a court injunction to enforce the 2013 joint-venture agreement and “subsequent written agreements between Combs and Diageo that the partners signed to resolve complaints by Combs,” according to the court filing.
Combs’ legal team also added to the complaint that Diageo and its executives placed “their feet on the neck of Mr. Combs’ brands,” cutting off production, distribution, and sales of Combs Wines and Spirits brands, Ciroc vodka and the high-end tequila brand DeLeón, and are seeking “billions of dollars in damages due to Diageo’s neglect and breaches” in a separate lawsuit, reports The Guardian.
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