Diddy Sued by Ex-Employee For Age Discrimination
Bad Boy mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been dragged into a new legal battle by a former employee who alleges she was dismissed because she was too old and disabled.
Francesca Spero, 51, claims Diddy fired her from her executive position at Bad Boy Records in March after she “suffered a relapse” of an addiction to prescription medication and alcohol following a painful hip replacement operation.
The pair go way back: Spero — who describes herself as a “51-year-old White woman” — introduced Combs to hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Uptown Records after their initial meeting in 1988.
“Francesca Spero opened the door for Combs’ career and, now that she’s 51, he showed her the door at Bad Boy,” her attorney, Laurie Berke-Weiss told NBC New York.
According to the suit, filed in Federal Court in Manhattan Wednesday and obtained by TMZ.com, Spero alleges Diddy was “unsympathetic to her condition” and attempted to get rid of her. She was eventually replaced by a woman at least 10 years her junior, who she claims “lacked the skill set and experience Spero brought to the position.”
Spero claims Diddy and his partners owe her $12 million in damages for age and disability discrimination.
A publicist for Combs says: “There are many reasons why Ms. Spero is no longer employed by Bad Boy, but age discrimination is not one of them.”
