Janice Combs Blasts Former Executive’s Claim She Helped Diddy Steal Ownership Of Bad Boy

Janice Combs — the 84-year-old mother of embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs — is pushing back hard against fresh legal claims tying her to her son’s decades-old business dealings.

Now going by the name Janice Smalls, she has filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss former Bad Boy Entertainment executive Kirk Burrowes’ lawsuit, which accuses her of helping Diddy forcibly obtain Burrowes’ 25% ownership stake in the label back in 1996.

According to AllHipHop, Smalls insists she had no involvement whatsoever in the alleged incident or in the negotiations surrounding Burrowes’ stake in Bad Boy.

Sean Combs and Janice Combs attend VH1’s 3rd Annual “Dear Mama: A Love Letter To Moms” at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on May 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

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The lawsuit also names Diddy’s longtime attorney Kenneth Meiselas as a co-defendant. Smalls’ filing notes that she hasn’t resided in New York since 2012 and has been residing in Florida, distancing herself geographically and personally from the claims.

Burrowes originally brought similar allegations two decades ago, filing a 2003 lawsuit against the incarcerated mogul and Meiselas in which he alleged that he had been forced to sign over his stake under the perceived threat of being beaten with a baseball bat.

Sean “Diddy” Combs attends the 2018 Fox Network Upfront at Wollman Rink, Central Park on May 14, 2018 in New York City.

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That case was dismissed in 2006, when a judge ruled that the statute of limitations had expired. Burrowes’ new complaint seeks to revive those long-settled accusations by tying Smalls to the alleged scheme — a connection she flatly denies.

Adding to her legal troubles, Smalls was also mentioned earlier this year in a $33 million federal RICO complaint filed by former Diddy associate Deon “D1” Best, who accused her of helping steal his intellectual property rights, royalties, and publishing revenue.

(L-R) Janice Combs and Diddy attend the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.

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The suit specifically referenced the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack hit “Come With Me”, claiming Best “controlled, owned, produced and/or created” the song before the rights were allegedly taken. That lawsuit, however, was dismissed without prejudice in September.

For now, Smalls’ motion to dismiss Burrowes’ latest filing is awaiting a judicial ruling.

Janice Combs, mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs, departs for a lunch break during Combs trial at Manhattan Federal Court on May 13, 2025 in New York City. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty on all counts, which include a racketeering charge alleging the hip-hop pioneer was the leader of a sex crime ring that included drug-fueled sex parties by use of force, threats and violence.

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