NEED TO KNOW
Notorious B.I.G.’s son, Christopher “C.J.” Wallace, is denying claims that he helped lure music producer Jonathan Hay to allegedly be sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy” Combs.
In an online interview, Jonathan Hay, who was previously known as John Doe, allegedly accused Wallace, Willie Mack and several others of setting up Hay “to be sexually assaulted by Combs at Wallace’s house and witnessing a supposed sexual assault at his house,” according to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE. Wallace also alleged that Hay made claims about Wallace having a sexual relationship and participating in “freak offs” with Combs, who is currently in prison for sex crimes.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Wallace, 29, filed a defamation lawsuit in response and alleged that “Hay published the foregoing false, unprivileged statements of fact about Wallace to third parties.”
“Hay acted with actual malice, knowing the statements were false or with reckless disregard for their truth or falsity,” Wallace’s lawsuit alleged of Hay, adding that Wallace “has suffered general and special damages, including loss of professional opportunities, humiliation, and mental anguish.”
He is seeking punitive and compensatory damages in an amount to be determined by a jury.
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Wallace claimed in his complaint that Hay’s accusations followed a failed deal over Hay’s “Ready to Dance” remix, a project he worked on with Wallace and Mack in 2020. While one song was released, the rest of the songs Hay’s produced were not released “due to low audience interest in the single, Hay’s erratic behavior, and creative differences,” according to Wallace’s filing.
Hay was upset over the decision not to release the song and began accusing Mack of “inappropriate and abusive behavior” in 2021, according to the filing. However, at the time Hay made “no allegation that Wallace had engaged in any type of misconduct or been involved in a supposed assault on Hay by” Combs, Wallace claimed.
Hay allegedly said in an email to Wallace: “’I have absolutely loved working with CJ and you guys as it’s truly been an honor and a privilege,’ ” according to the lawsuit.
Mack denied Hay’s allegations against him.
Wallace’s complaint also claims Hay later threatened to release the remix songs without permission from the Notorious B.I.G. Estate. Eventually, he was issued a cease and desist letter on July 15, 2021.
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Years later, in late 2024, Wallace claimed that Hay made claims via YouTube interviews that Mack was Wallace’s “boyfriend,” as well as allegations that Wallace witnessed or participated in Diddy’s freak-offs. Diddy’s legal team previously denied the allegations in a statement to Page Six.
“Hay fabricated salacious claims that Wallace engaged in sexual relationships with Sean “Diddy” Combs and Wallace’s co-producer, Willie Mack, attended Combs’s alleged “freak-off” parties, and conspired to lure Hay to a location where Combs purportedly assaulted him, among other false statements,” Wallace’s lawsuit alleged.
Diddy was arrested in September 2024 for racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. In July 2025, he was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
He was initially sentenced to 50 months in prison in October, but his release date has now been changed from May 8, 2028, to June 4, 2028, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate records viewed by PEOPLE on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
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PEOPLE reached out to the attorneys for Wallace and Hay for comment.
