Justin Combs and Cuba Gooding Jr. are accused of ducking service in a high-profile federal lawsuit tied to Sean “Diddy” Combs, leading plaintiff Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. to seek court approval to notify them through newspaper ads in two of the nation’s largest publications.
Jones, a music producer, filed a sweeping civil suit against Diddy in February of 2024, alleging sex trafficking, drug distribution, and other serious misconduct.
The complaint, amended in March, added Gooding Jr. and Justin Combs as co-defendants, accusing them of playing roles in the alleged abuse and cover-up.
Gooding Jr. is accused of groping Jones on a yacht rented by Diddy in January 2023. According to the lawsuit, Diddy left Jones alone with the actor, who allegedly assaulted him without consent.
Justin Combs, Diddy’s eldest son, is named for allegedly helping facilitate some of the activities described in the complaint.
Despite multiple attempts to serve both men at known addresses in California and Florida, Jones’ legal team says they’ve hit a wall.
Process servers tried to reach Gooding Jr. at three separate California addresses. At one location, building staff confirmed he no longer had representation there. At another, neighbors said they’d never seen him.
A third address was outdated, with neighbors reporting he moved out years ago. A skip-trace investigation also failed to turn up a current address.
Justin Combs has also proven elusive.
Process servers were blocked by security at a gated Los Angeles apartment complex. At a Beverly Hills address, they were told he had moved with no forwarding information.
In Miami Beach, guards and locked gates thwarted attempts to serve him at two Star Island properties.
Even a process server who successfully served Christian Combs—Justin’s brother—at the same compound couldn’t reach Justin.
Jones’s legal team argues that both men are intentionally avoiding service, noting that Gooding Jr. even acknowledged the lawsuit publicly on a podcast but has refused to engage with the legal process.
With traditional methods exhausted, Jones is asking the court to allow service by publication under New York law, which permits alternative service when conventional efforts have failed.
His attorneys argue that publishing notices in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times is a reasonable way to reach both men, given their public profiles and ties to New York and California.
Without court approval for this method, Jones says he’ll be unfairly blocked from moving forward with serious claims involving sexual assault and trafficking.
A judge has yet to rule on the motion for service by publication.
