Bad Boy Entertainment co-founder Kirk Burrowes has filed a lawsuit alleging he was violently coerced into surrendering his 25% stake in the company to Diddy's mother, Janice Smalls, in 1996.

Burrowes, now 62 and homeless, claims Diddy threatened him with a baseball bat in his New York City office, forcing him to sign over his shares. The incident allegedly occurred in May 1996, with Bad Boy attorney Kenneth Meiselas present.

The lawsuit states that Smalls, Diddy's 84-year-old mother, "engaged in a decades-long scheme of intimidation, violence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and financial concealment." Burrowes alleges that after being forced to surrender his shares, he was systematically blacklisted from the music industry.

Key allegations in the lawsuit:

• Burrowes invested $100,000 in BBE's initial launch
• He was coerced into signing over his 25% stake under threat of violence
• The shares were subsequently transferred to Janice Smalls
• Burrowes was blacklisted from the music industry afterward
• He has experienced prolonged periods of homelessness in NYC

Burrowes, who is godfather to Diddy's eldest son Justin, is seeking:

• Damages for financial losses
• Reinstatement of his 25% ownership stake
• Annual profit shares
• A forensic audit of Bad Boy Entertainment's earnings

His attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, expressed confidence in the legal process while Diddy remains in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial on separate federal charges.

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