Docket Briefing
- Claims tying Sir Lucian Grainge to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged misconduct were dismissed with prejudice after the plaintiff’s lawyer admitted “no legal basis” for the allegations.
- A separate civil defamation fight targets Universal Music Group’s handling of “Not Like Us,” with fresh filings seeking CEO-level discovery of Grainge’s emails and directives. UMG denies wrongdoing.
- Grainge remains one of music’s most powerful figures—knighted in 2016, Walk of Fame honoree, and under contract through 2028.
By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald
If power in the music business has an address, Sir Lucian Grainge’s inbox is on the route. As chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group (UMG) since 2010, he is credited with steering the industry’s post-streaming rebound—yet his corporate reach also draws courtroom fire. That scrutiny has intensified in 2024–2025 as litigants, commentators, and fans debate where influence ends and accountability begins.
Who Grainge Is—and Why His Name Lands in Court
Grainge’s résumé is stark: a British-born executive knighted in 2016, awarded a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2020, and extended by UMG’s board through May 1, 2028. He is also firmly Los Angeles–based, with the Los Angeles Times recently profiling him at his Pacific Palisades home—an image of an industry monarch who operates at the center of entertainment power.
(Note: Grainge’s Response to the Recent Pacific Palisades Fire: Grainge, as UMG Chairman and CEO, sent a letter to employees on January 13, 2025, stating that at least 50 UMG colleagues were “totally displaced,” with many losing their homes entirely. He noted his empathy as a Pacific Palisades resident of over 15 years but did not mention personal loss of his own home, focusing instead on supporting affected employees. This suggests he was personally unaffected or chose not to disclose any personal loss.)
