Photo Credit: Tingey Law Firm
A former sex worker featured in Netflix’s Diddy docuseries is suing the company and 50 Cent, alleging they distorted his account of events through selective editing.
Netflix and 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) are being sued for $20 million by a former sex worker, Clayton Howard, who was featured in the Netflix docuseries, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.” Strangely, Howard alleges that his account of events was “distorted” through selective editing, deliberately omitting his testimony about Combs’ ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura.
According to Howard’s lawsuit, his testimony included allegations that Ventura acted as a Combs accomplice and a trafficker, but the docuseries instead portrayed her as a victim to create a simplified narrative. Initially filed in state court, the lawsuit was transferred to the federal District Court for the Southern District of New York.
“Defendants deliberately edited, distorted, and misrepresented plaintiff’s account to portray Cassie Ventura—plaintiff’s primary trafficker—as a victim, while omitting and suppressing plaintiff’s testimony that he was sex trafficked by Ventura, thereby inflicting severe harm upon plaintiff’s reputation,” the filing reads.
The complaint also alleges that the editorial choices served Jackson’s interests, rather than just serving a compelling narrative—Howard claims the depiction furthers Jackson’s longstanding feud with Combs while protecting Ventura for commercial gain.
“This calculated misrepresentation was done in furtherance of defendant Curtis Jackson’spersonal and business vendetta against Sean Combs and to create a commercially profitable narrative that silenced a documented trafficking victim to protect a documented trafficker.”
Besides the $20 million asked for in damages tied to reputational, emotional, and financial harm, the lawsuit asks Netflix to issue a disclaimer alerting viewers that the docuseries might contain edited material that does not fully represent the underlying testimony.
Howard’s lawsuit follows an earlier filing he issued in July, accusing both Combs and Ventura of participating in sex trafficking and claiming he was victimized by both. That filing includes allegations involving an STD, and a terminated pregnancy.
Attorneys for Combs previously issued a cease-and-desist to Netflix in an effort to block the film’s release, claiming that the behind-the-scenes footage was obtained illegally. However, no further action has been taken, and Combs has yet to file a lawsuit, despite threatening to sue over the docuseries.
