A $55 million Miami mansion deal tied to Sean "Diddy" Combs has landed in court.
South Carolina-based buyer John Franklin filed a lawsuit late last month against 1 West Star Island LLC, the corporation that owns one of Combs’ Star Island properties near Miami, alleging the seller walked away from a signed purchase agreement by failing to close on time.
Combs owns two adjacent properties on the elite island, 1 and 2 Star Island Drive. The sale at issue was only of 1 Star Island Drive, which Diddy bought in 2021 for $35 million. Per a 2024 court document, the appraised value of the other property, 2 Star Island Drive, is around $48 million.
Franklin’s complaint says that he entered a purchase contract for 1 Star Island Drive in March 2026, with a closing date set for May 12. According to the suit, when that date arrived, 1 West Star Island LLC was "not ready or able to close" — even as Franklin claims he was prepared to proceed.
The central dispute: Franklin alleges the company could not produce a clear title by closing because it failed to supply paperwork tied to a pair of mortgages on the property.
Franklin says he filed the suit "out of an abundance of caution" to protect his stake in the home. His primary ask is specific performance — a court order compelling the seller to complete the transaction.
Combs' rep pushed back on the lawsuit in a statement to TMZ. "1 West Star Island, LLC was ready and on standby to close the transaction on the date agreed," they said. "Buyer, Mr. John Franklin, failed to perform; therefore, a notice of default was issued to him on 5/11/2026 with a follow-up on 5/13/2026. The Northern Trust Loan and the prior permit-related matters were all pre-ownership of 1 West Star Island, LLC, and cleared up as an administrative matter."
"No issues related to a current loan were ever in question. The default on the transaction and non-performance clearly lays in the hands of John Franklin,” the rep added. “Conveniently, John Franklin filed his frivolous lawsuit against 1 West Star Island, LLC (not Sean Combs personally), on the very day of his obligation to turn over the 2.5M to the seller."
Complex reached out to Combs' representative via email, but did not immediately receive a response.
The property has a complicated history. As mentioned, Diddy bought the property in 2021 for $35 million (he had purchased his other property on the island almost two decades earlier, in 2003). Federal agents searched that adjacent property, 2 Star Island Drive, in March 2024 as part of a broader investigation, and photos from that raid were later introduced during Combs' Manhattan trial.
Combs was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and sentenced to 50 months the following October. He is currently serving that sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he is enrolled in a drug-abuse rehabilitation program. His projected release date is currently Feb. 23, 2028, though an appeal of both his conviction and his sentence is pending.
