Sher Tremonte Files Proposed Orders to Withdraw as Combs’s Counsel in 14 New York Supreme Court Cases
N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. County · 14 actions before Justice Stroth · Filed Oct. 22, 2026
In the matter of Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024, and 13 other pending actions against Sean “Diddy” Combs in New York Supreme Court, New York County, Sher Tremonte LLP filed a proposed order to show cause in each case on Oct. 22, 2026. The firm asks Justice Leslie A. Stroth to dismiss its lawyers as counsel for Combs (and, in most cases, related defendants) and to stay each case until she rules. An order to show cause asks the court to set a hearing and deadlines for responses.
Background
Sher Tremonte has sought to leave Combs’s cases in several courts this fall; see the Dispatches on Kelly, Doe and Sapp, Jones and Burgess. In Güzel v. Combs et al., Index No. 152568/2025, Justice Stroth declined in September to sign the firm’s proposed order, and the firm went to the First Department.
The First Department Order
A notice of entry filed in Güzel on Oct. 22 attaches the First Department’s Oct. 20 order: “It is ordered that the motion is granted to the extent of making the underlying motion to withdraw as counsel returnable before the Supreme Court.” (NYSCEF Doc. No. 181 at 2.) Erica A. Wolff of Sher Tremonte also wrote to Justice Stroth that day, citing the Kelly, Doe and Burgess orders as “supplemental authority.” (NYSCEF Doc. No. 182 at 1.) The proposed orders in the 14 cases were filed later that afternoon.
The Grounds
Michael Tremonte affirms in Lampros that “Mr. Combs has deliberately disregarded his obligation to pay Sher Tremonte’s legal fees and expenses,” and “has not paid Sher Tremonte anything for over seven months.” He also describes “a total breakdown in cooperation and communication,” with Combs having “declined to make himself available for timely, substantive, and direct communications about his cases for over four months.” (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99 at 2.) The firm offers more detail “in camera or otherwise” (id. at 3) and writes that Combs was notified by mail to FCI Fort Dix on or before Sept. 3, 2026 (id. at 4). These grounds appear in all 14 affirmations: Tremonte signed seven, Mark Cuccaro six and Wolff one.
What the Proposed Orders Ask
The Lampros order would dismiss named Sher Tremonte lawyers “and all Sher Tremonte LLP attorneys as counsel for Mr. Combs,” and provides that the case “and all deadlines therein, shall be stayed until the Court issues a ruling on this motion to withdraw by Order to Show Cause.” (NYSCEF Doc. No. 98 at 1.) All 14 contain that stay clause, and the hearing and response dates are blank. Four affirmations (152559/2025, 152733/2025, 154220/2025, 159257/2024) also ask for “a 30-day stay of all deadlines” for new counsel to be retained. Each attaches five exhibits: the Kelly, Doe, Doe and Burgess decisions and the First Department order. In nine cases the affirmation says a stipulation already stays the case or Combs’s response; in eight, tied to Parker v. Alexander and Doe v. Black. It says the Court of Appeals is “scheduled to hear argument on that matter on January 6, 2027,” and that the Doe v. Black appeal was withdrawn Oct. 20. (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99 at 3 n.1.)
The 14 Cases
Plaintiffs are named where our records hold the name and otherwise designated Doe; all descriptions are the plaintiffs’ allegations.
- 154859/2024: April Lampros; alleges an abusive relationship with Combs and a sexual assault. Combs’s appeal from the partial denial of dismissal is pending.
- 159257/2024: Chelsea Lovelace; alleges wrongful conduct beginning in fall 2020. Dismissal argument set for Dec. 3, 2026.
- 152013/2025: John Doe; alleges an assault at a nightclub when a minor.
- 152014/2025: John Doe; alleges being drugged and assaulted.
- 152559/2025: Jane Doe; alleges an assault while under 18. A stipulation of voluntary dismissal was filed July 16, 2026; the court has not yet entered an order dismissing the case.
- 152703/2025: Kendra Haffoney; alleges assaults by the defendants, who employed her.
- 152724/2025: Anthony Barksdale; alleges an assault in 1997.
- 152725/2025: John Doe; alleges repeated assaults.
- 152726/2025: John Doe; alleges an assault at a party at Combs’s New York residence.
- 152727/2025: Jane Doe; alleges being drugged and assaulted in East Hampton in or around September 2007.
- 152733/2025: Latasha Forbes and five other named plaintiffs, plus a Jane Doe. Dismissal argument set for Dec. 3, 2026.
- 152781/2025: Nikki Brown; alleges being drugged and assaulted in a club bathroom.
- 152923/2025: Tina McKenney; alleges an assault by a co-defendant.
- 154220/2025: Reginald Carter; alleges an assault after being promised career advancement.
In 152733/2025 the affirmation asks for “a modest 30-day adjournment” of the Dec. 3 argument, and the 159257/2024 affirmation does the same. (NYSCEF Doc. No. 131 at 3.)
What Remains
All 14 filings are proposed orders. None has been signed, and the dockets in our records show no response from any plaintiff.
Counsel and Sources
Defendants: Sher Tremonte LLP. Plaintiffs: The Buzbee Law Firm, AVA Law Group and Curis Law, PLLC (152013, 152014, 152724–152727, 152781, 152923 and 154220/2025); Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC (152559/2025); Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC (152703/2025); Merson Law, PLLC (152733/2025); T. A. Blackburn Law, PLLC (154859/2024); Napoli Shkolnik PLLC (159257/2024). Sources: the proposed orders and affirmations, and NYSCEF Doc. Nos. 181–182 in Güzel, on the case dockets.
Diddy Docket reports on public court records. Parties are presumed innocent or not liable unless proven otherwise. This is not legal advice.
- 154859/2024
- 159257/2024
- 152013/2025
- 152014/2025
- 152559/2025
- 152703/2025
- 152724/2025
- 152725/2025
- 152726/2025
- 152727/2025
- 152733/2025
- 152781/2025
- 152923/2025
- 154220/2025
- 152568/2025
- p. 2 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 2 -- "Mr. Combs has deliberately disregarded his obligation to pay Sher Tremonte’s legal fees and expenses."
- p. 2 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 2 -- "Mr. Combs has not paid Sher Tremonte anything for over seven months and his last payment related to fees and expenses that were incurred in late 2025."
- p. 2 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 2 -- "there has been a total breakdown in cooperation and communication between Mr. Combs and Sher Tremonte"
- p. 2 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 2 -- "Mr. Combs has declined to make himself available for timely, substantive, and direct communications about his cases for over four months."
- p. 3 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 3 -- "We are prepared to provide additional details to the Court concerning the basis of this motion, in camera or otherwise"
- p. 4 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 4 -- "Mr. Combs was notified by mail that was delivered to FCI Fort Dix (the federal correctional institution then housing Mr. Combs) on or before September 3, 2026"
- p. 4 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 4 -- "Several of these motions have already been granted."
- p. 3 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 3 -- "the New York Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear argument on that matter on January 6, 2027"
- p. 3 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 3 -- "On October 20, 2026, the parties in Doe v. Black, 25-564 (2d Cir.) filed a stipulation withdrawing the appeal in that case."
- p. 3 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 99), p. 3 -- "The parties stipulated to stay all discovery deadlines in this matter pending resolution of Defendant’s appeal"
- p. 1 — [Proposed] Order to Show Cause re: Withdrawal of Counsel, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 98), p. 1 -- "dismissing Michael Tremonte, Erica A. Wolff, Katie E. Renzler, Benjamin J. Shack Sackler, Michael Bass of Sher Tremonte LLP, and all Sher Tremonte LLP attorneys as counsel for Mr. Combs"
- p. 1 — [Proposed] Order to Show Cause re: Withdrawal of Counsel, Lampros v. Combs et al., Index No. 154859/2024 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 98), p. 1 -- "this case, and all deadlines therein, shall be stayed until the Court issues a ruling on this motion to withdraw by Order to Show Cause"
- p. 2 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Forbes et al. v. Combs et al., Index No. 152733/2025 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 131), p. 2 -- "The only scheduled event in this matter is oral argument on Defendants’ motions to dismiss (Mot. Seq. Nos. 3-5), currently set for December 3, 2026."
- p. 3 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Forbes et al. v. Combs et al., Index No. 152733/2025 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 131), p. 3 -- "(for which we respectfully request a modest 30-day adjournment)"
- p. 4 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Forbes et al. v. Combs et al., Index No. 152733/2025 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 131), p. 4 -- "with a 30-day stay of all deadlines in this matter to allow the Combs Defendants time to retain new counsel"
- p. 3 — Affirmation of Michael Tremonte in support of motion to withdraw, Doe v. Combs et al., Index No. 152559/2025 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 25), p. 3 -- "On July 16, 2026, the parties filed a stipulation for voluntary dismissal of the case, NYSCEF Doc No. 23, though the Court has not yet entered an order dismissing the case."
- p. 2 — Notice of Entry, Guzel v. Combs et al., Index No. 152568/2025 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 181), p. 2 -- "It is ordered that the motion is granted to the extent of making the underlying motion to withdraw as counsel returnable before the Supreme Court."
- p. 1 — Letter from Erica A. Wolff to Justice Stroth, Guzel v. Combs et al., Index No. 152568/2025 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 22, 2026) (NYSCEF Doc. No. 182), p. 1 -- "as supplemental authority in further support of Sher Tremonte’s Motion to Withdraw as Counsel"