Diddy Celebrates Oscars With Alleged Smackdown

03/06/07 8:00pm

by Antoinette Mercurio (CHARTattack)

Sean "Diddy" Combs is being sued after an incident where he allegedly tried to pick up someone else's girlfriend, was called out on it, and then hit a guy in the face over it.

The father of newborn twins with girlfriend and former model Kim Porter was at a post-Academy Awards bash at Teddy's nightclub in Los Angeles' Roosevelt Hotel in the early morning hours of February 25, where real estate agent Gerard Rechnitzer claims he saw Combs hitting on his girlfriend.

After Rechnitzer approached Combs, the hip-hop mogul apparently ignored his boyfriend status and allegedly invited the woman to a party. According to the lawsuit, Rechnitzer asked his girlfriend to leave with him a second time, prompting Diddy to yell at him "in a threatening and ominous matter."

How threatening and ominous? How about, "I'll smack flames out your ass!"

Rechnitzer claims in the suit that after Combs shouted obscenities, the impresario "attacked, assaulted and battered" Rechnitzer, forcing him "to fly backwards several feet" into a parked car. Combs then is said to have pushed Rechnitzer's girlfriend and tried to spit on a female friend of Rechnitzer, prompting him to call the police.

Rechnitzer declined medical attention once emergency services showed up. Diddy had already left by the time police arrived.

Police have been interviewing witnesses and haven't yet made a decision to press charges against Combs.

Rechinitzer's suit is seeking unspecified damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and punitive damages.

While the rapper/producer has made no comment on the alleged attack, lawyer Benjamin Brafman released a statement on his behalf where he called the suit "completely baseless" and "just another example of an opportunist seeking to fabricate a lawsuit based on a flat-out lie to try to take advantage" of Combs' celebrity status.

"Mr. Combs did not hit anyone, and Mr. Rechnitzer suffered no injuries or damages whatsoever. There is no case. It is that simple."