Jones v. Combs: Court Lets Sher Tremonte Withdraw as Combs’s Counsel and Extends His Deadline to Oppose Dismissal of His Counterclaims to Dec. 4

In the matter of Jones v. Combs et al., No. 1:24-cv-01457 (S.D.N.Y.), United States District Judge J. Paul Oetken has granted the motion of Sher Tremonte LLP to withdraw as counsel for defendant Sean “Diddy” Combs. The order gives Combs four weeks to have new counsel appear or to tell the court he will represent himself, and it moves his deadline to oppose Rodney Jones’s motion to dismiss Combs’s counterclaims to Dec. 4, 2026. (ECF No. 132 at 1–2.)

Background

Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a music producer, sued Combs and others in February 2024. Combs answered and, on Aug. 11, 2026, filed an amended answer with counterclaims, which are claims a defendant brings back against the plaintiff (ECF No. 120). Jones moved to dismiss those counterclaims on Sept. 17 (ECF No. 124; see the earlier Dispatch). One week later, on Sept. 24, Sher Tremonte filed its motion to withdraw (ECF No. 126). On Oct. 1 the court extended Combs’s opposition deadline to Oct. 30 and noted that its ruling on the withdrawal motion “may further extend” it. (ECF No. 131.) The firm has sought to withdraw in other Combs cases as well; see the Kelly and Doe and Sapp Dispatches.

The Order

The order states that counsel moved “citing nonpayment of legal fees and a breakdown of communication with Combs,” and that “[n]either Plaintiff nor Combs has filed any opposition.” “Finding good cause for counsel’s withdrawal,” the court “GRANTS the motion.” The motion papers (ECF Nos. 126–129) are not in our library, so the firm’s own account is not reported here. The order does not mention a retaining lien, which is a law firm’s right to hold a client’s files until its fees are paid.

What the Order Requires

1. New counsel or a pro se letter. “Within four weeks of the date of this Order, Combs shall have new counsel appear or file a letter stating that he will appear pro se (that is, representing himself) with contact information.” The order points to the court’s individual rules for pro se cases and lists the ways a self-represented party may file: by email to the court’s pro se mailbox or by mail or hand delivery to the Pro Se Intake Unit at 500 Pearl Street.
2. Service on Combs. “Within seven days of the date of this Order, Sher Tremonte shall serve this Order upon Defendant Combs by emailing a copy to Combs’s power of attorney and by USPS Priority Mail to Defendant’s current facility mailing address.”
3. Counsel terminated. The clerk is directed to close the motion and “to terminate Attorneys Erica Ashley Wolff, Michael Tremonte, Benjamin Jared Shack Sackler, Katie Elizabeth Renzler, and Mark Elliot Cuccaro as counsel.”
4. Two defendants terminated. The clerk is “further directed to terminate Love Records and Combs Global Enterprises as parties on the docket, in light of the Court’s Opinion and Order dismissing all claims against them at ECF No. 86.”

The Counterclaim Motion

Jones’s motion to dismiss the counterclaims (ECF No. 124) was filed Sept. 17, and the order notes that “Combs has not yet filed any opposition papers.” Citing the earlier extension to Oct. 30, the court “extends Combs’s deadline to oppose Plaintiff’s motion to December 4, 2026.” It adds: “If Combs does not file an opposition by December 4, 2026, the Court will construe Plaintiff’s motion as unopposed.” The order does not decide the motion or address the counterclaims’ merits.

What Remains

The order sets three dates by its own terms: service on Combs within seven days, new counsel or a pro se letter within four weeks, and Combs’s opposition by Dec. 4, 2026. It names no successor counsel, and none appears on the docket. The docket lists no hearing date on the counterclaim motion.

Counsel and Sources

Counsel: Tyrone A. Blackburn, T. A. Blackburn Law, PLLC, for Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant Jones. Sher Tremonte LLP (Erica A. Wolff, Michael Tremonte, Benjamin Jared Shack Sackler, Katie Elizabeth Renzler and Mark Elliot Cuccaro) acted for Combs until the Oct. 22 order. Sources: ECF No. 132 on the No. 1:24-cv-01457 docket; dates and titles for ECF Nos. 120, 124, 126 and 131 come from the docket sheet. Related: Güzel, Burgess.

Diddy Docket reports on public court records. Parties are presumed innocent or not liable unless proven otherwise. This is not legal advice.