Rapper and entrepreneur Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥 Combs has withdrawn his lawsuit against Diageo as part of a settlement with the London-based spirits giant.
Combs and Diageo 鈥渉ave now agreed to resolve all disputes between them,鈥 the two parties said in a statement released Tuesday. Diageo is now the sole owner of Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila, two brands Combs had promoted in the past, and has no business relationship with Combs going forward.
No further details of the settlement were released.
Combs , saying the company didn鈥檛 make promised investments in Ciroc and DeLeon and treated them as inferior 鈥渦rban鈥 products.
Combs, who signed a deal to promote Ciroc in 2007 and purchased DeLeon with Diageo in 2013, said the neglect worsened after Diageo bought two competing tequila brands: Don Julio in 2014 and Casamigos in 2017. Diageo owns more than 200 brands, including Guinness beer and Tanqueray gin.
Combs, who is Black, also . In court filings, Combs said Diageo leadership told him race was one of the reasons it limited distribution to 鈥渦rban鈥 neighborhoods. Combs was also told some Diageo leaders resented him for making too much money.
Diageo denied those claims. In legal filings, Diageo of resorting to 鈥渇alse and reckless鈥 allegations 鈥渋n an effort to extract additional billions鈥 from the company.
Combs鈥 reputation took a serious hit after the lawsuit was filed. In November, he was , who said he subjected her to a yearslong abusive relationship that included beatings and rape. Combs with Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, a few days after it was filed.
