Producer and musical artist Lil Rod’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, Motown Records, and UMG Recordings is dismissed. The lawsuit was part of his larger suit against Diddy, which is still ongoing.
Lil Rod, whose real name is Ronnie Jones Jr., recently accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and other serious allegations. His is one of five ongoing lawsuits accusing Combs of similar crimes and others such as forced druggings and blackmail. Combs is currently under federal investigation.
Jones initially attempted to sue Grainge, Motown Records, and UMG in the same suit he filed against Combs, claiming that Grainge aided and abetted his illegal activities. However, Jones’ lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, filed the necessary paperwork to dismiss these allegations on May 13.
“Based on my examination of all of the papers submitted in support of both motions to dismiss, which addressed the issues I had, I have concluded that there is no legal basis for the claims and allegations that were made against the UMG Defendants. As such, I have determined that the proper course of action is for all of the claims and all of the allegations to be withdrawn immediately,” said Blackburn. Once he filed the paperwork to dismiss the claims, the suit cannot be refiled, so this will be the end of Jones’ action against Grainge, Motown Records, and UGM.
Lawyers representing Grainge, Motown Records, and UGM filed a motion to dismiss the case in April. “All of the claims against Grainge, Motown, and UMG Recordings (the ‘UMG Defendants’) in the [second amended complaint] are lacking in any legally cognizable basis,” they argued, per court documents. “Every claim is premised on the untenable strict liability theory that when one enters into a commercial contract, the payor under that contract becomes liable for anything that the recipient of payment does with the payment.
“There is no law underpinning such theory and the baseless ‘general business partnership’ allegation in the [second amended complaint] provides no support. The claims against the UMG Defendants are entirely bereft of legal merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.”
While these charges have been dismissed, the ongoing case against Combs remains alive. During the fourteen months that Jones spent working with Combs on his album, The Love Album: Off the Grid, Jones became Combs’ videographer. He lived with and traveled with Combs, recording footage of the sordid events behind the scenes daily. Jones’ claims range from being cheated out of over $50,000 for his work on the album to being sexually assaulted, made to solicit sex workers, and drugged.
Jones’ case is the fourth filed against Combs since November 2023. It was filed just weeks after the bombshell news that Combs’ ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie, brought charges against Combs that included rape and physical abuse. The similarities between Cassie’s and Jones’ cases were palpable and began to paint a picture of what Combs was like behind closed doors. Last month, Combs’ house was raided by the FBI, and their investigation is still in progress.
