Three attorneys from the law firm representing Diddy in a federal civil case are asking to withdraw from the lawsuit, citing unpaid legal fees and a breakdown in their relationship with the imprisoned music mogul.
Michael Tremonte, Erica Wolff and Katie Renzler of Sher Tremonte LLP filed a motion seeking permission to stop representing Diddy in his case against Nexstar Media, Ariel Mitchell and Courtney Burgess in federal court in New York.
According to the motion, Diddy has failed to pay a āsubstantial balance of attorneyās feesā along with other costs and expenses.
The attorneys also claim Diddy has been āunreasonably difficultā and uncooperative, saying the situation has resulted in a breakdown in communication between the lawyers and their client.
The filing further alleges that Diddy ādeliberately disregards an agreement or obligation to the lawyer as to expenses or feesā and is in āsubstantial arrears.ā
The lawyers say Diddyās last payment came more than six months ago.
But Diddyās team strongly disputes that characterization.
Through his spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, Diddy tells TMZ that the decision to change lawyers was his and says the disagreement centers on what he considers unauthorized charges.
āI made the decision to switch lawyers because I won’t let anyone take advantage of me by overcharging me and running up bills that were never approved,ā Diddy said through Engelmayer.
He characterized the situation as a business dispute, arguing that the claims about unpaid fees stem from disagreement over charges he says he did not approve.
The dispute comes while Diddy continues serving a federal prison sentence following his criminal trial.
He was sentenced to just over four years in prison after a jury convicted him on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
Diddy is currently serving his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey.
His legal representation has also reportedly involved significant expenses. According to TMZ, Diddy paid approximately $8 million to his criminal defense team.
Now, the disagreement over fees has spilled into his civil litigation, with his attorneys asking the federal court for permission to step away from the case while Diddy maintains that the underlying issue is allegedly excessive and unauthorized billing.
