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A judge has allowed Sean “Diddy” Combs to use newspaper publication to serve legal papers to Courtney Burgess. This order came after months of failed attempts to reach Burgess through normal methods. Diddy says the $100 million lawsuit cannot move forward until Burgess is officially served.
Diddy filed the lawsuit accusing Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell, and Nexstar Media of airing claims he says are false. The claims involved the possession of alleged flash drives from the late Kim Porter and videos that Burgess said showed illegal acts. Diddy argues the story is false and has damaged his name and career.
The case stalled because Burgess could not be located. Process servers tried to reach him at several addresses, through email, phone, and mail. The judge agreed that new methods were needed due to repeated failures.
Judge allows Diddy alternative service methods
According to AllHipHop, Diddy’s legal team showed the court that they tried to find Burgess for months. They visited homes in South Carolina, New Jersey, and Maryland. New residents said they did not know him. They also mailed documents to a P.O. box believed to be tied to him and sent emails to multiple accounts linked to him.
They also tried reaching Burgess by phone. One process server said he spoke to a man who may have been Burgess. The man said he needed to speak to his lawyer but was not heard from again. Investigators confirmed that all methods used were common and reasonable. But none of them worked.
The judge decided that Burgess might be avoiding service or was too difficult to find through normal routes. Because of this, the judge ruled that Combs had done everything required. The court approved wider methods to make sure the lawsuit can move ahead.
Newspapers, emails, and texts approved
Under the court order, Combs can now send legal notices through several new channels. He can publish notices in three newspapers: the Maryland Daily Record, The Star-Ledger, and The Morning News. These papers serve areas linked to Burgess’s possible locations. This gives a higher chance that Burgess may see the notice.
The judge also approved other digital and mail-based options. Combs can send the legal documents by certified mail to two addresses and a P.O. box linked to Burgess. He can also email the five accounts flagged by investigators. A text message can be sent to the phone number thought to belong to him.
These combined methods aim to create enough opportunity for Burgess to receive the legal papers. The court said the mixed approach is reasonable based on the long record of failed efforts.
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