Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs have hit out at a new Netflix documentary produced by rapper 50 Cent, which they say is "a shameful hit piece" that "relied on stolen footage".
The four-part documentary, titled 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning', was released yesterday, and is billed as a "staggering examination" of the hip-hop mogul, who was convicted on prostitution-related charges earlier this year.
The documentary includes what Netflix described as "explosive" footage of Combs filmed in the days before his arrest, including a phone conversation with his lawyers.
The director says she obtained the footage legally, but Combs' spokesman said it was "fundamentally unfair, and illegal" to use his private footage.
Comb's lawyers also said it was "staggering" that Netflix had given creative control to 50 Cent, who he described as "a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta".
In a statement, his lawyers stated that Netflix is plainly desperate to sensationalise every minute of Combs's life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalise on a never-ending media frenzy.
They say that if Netflix cared about truth or about Combs's legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context, including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing.
They say no rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.
They add that for Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront.
They says that at minimum, Combs expected fairness from people he respected.
[Source: BBC News]
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