There’s a battle over the character and reputation of Diddy accuser Rodney “Lil Rod” Smith.
Diddy’s camp have been digging around on the producer — who is suing the Bad Boy mogul for $30 million, claiming he was forced to engage in sex acts and was drugged and groped while working for him — and say he has a history of troubling arrests and convictions that make him an unreliable witness.
But Lil Rod’s camp says their fishing expedition is a callous attempt to smear Rod to weaken his case against the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper — and that the rap sheet is misleading in any case.
Documents seen by Page Six show Smith was charged twice with domestic assault — once in 2009 and once in 2014.
He was also charged with misdemeanor sexual assault in 2005.
Those charges were all dismissed.
He was convicted of reckless homicide in 2003.
When we asked Smith’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, about the record, he told us: “I am sure you know that a charge is not a conviction. So, running this story on behalf of [Diddy’s camp] is problematic and calls into question your integrity as a journalist.”
“Mr. Jones’ July 2003 reckless homicide occurred when he was 17 years old,” Blackburn added, “He was driving a vehicle with his cousin in the passenger seat. The police pulled him over, but he was afraid and drove off. It was pretty typical behavior for a young black boy in Chicago when pulled over by the police. As a result, he totaled the vehicle, and his cousin, who was his best friend, died.”
Blackburn said that Rod “did not have adequate legal representation” at the time and pleaded guilty.
“He has to live with the guilt of the death of his best friend and family member for the rest of his life. But don’t let that stop you from running this story and getting your clicks.”
Blackburn added, “[Diddy’s] legal team can do nothing to distract from the fact that he will be indicted soon.”
In February, Smith claimed in court papers that Diddy repeatedly sexually assaulted him while he was working on Diddy’s latest album from September 2022 to November 2023.
The producer alleged that Diddy would grope his genitals and touch his anus to groom him into having sex, but that Diddy — who would allegedly walk around naked in front of Jones — would downplay the assaults as “horseplay.”
Jones also claims that Diddy subjected him to unwarranted sexual attention from his associates.
Jones also alleges in the suit that he was forced to solicit sex workers and perform sex acts with them at the request of Combs and that he was drugged and raped during one of Diddy’s parties in February 2023.
Diddy’s attorney, Shawn Holley, has denied Smith’s allegations, telling Page Six that “Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar” who filed the $30 million lawsuit “shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday.”
“[The alleged events] are pure fiction and… nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.”
Rod’s suit is one of a number of legal woes swirling around Diddy.
His ex girlfriend Cassie also sued him, and his homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided in March as part of what appears to a sex trafficking investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security.
