Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ dispute with Diageo deepens

NEW YORK » Rapper, producer and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs is asking the New York Supreme Court to enforce a 2021 agreement that requires spirits seller Diageo to treat his DeLeon tequila brand “at least as favorably” as its other tequila brands.

Combs signed an agreement with Diageo, which owns more than 200 brands including Guinness beer and Tanqueray gin, after what he says were years of neglect for DeLeon, a brand he established with the London company in 2013.

Combs’ lawsuit against Diageo was filed in May. But many details, including the 2021 agreement, were redacted at the time. On Wednesday, those details were released after Judge Joel Cohen ruled that Diageo could keep only limited portions confidential.