back in May, he accused Diageo of “discriminatory treatment,” though a lot of the particulars were redacted. What was known, was that Combs believed Diageo had failed to invest resources into Ciroc and DeLeon, and only seemed interested in marketing them to “urban” consumers. Combs also claimed that Diageo’s President of Reserve and New Business Stephen Rust admitted to him that “race was part of the reason Diageo limited the neighborhoods where the Combs brand were distributed.
Now, specific details pertaining to Diageo’s alleged treatment of Ciroc and DeLeon, have come to light after New York State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen ruled that Diageo could only keep portions of the lawsuit secret.: Ciroc and DeLeon were regularly described as “urban brands” within the Diageo portfolio.
Combs even claimed Diageo “proposed downplaying” his connection to Ciroc, “with the goal of rolling back its ‘image of being an African-American brand.’”