Netflix is hitting back against claims from Sean "Diddy" Combs that footage in a new docuseries was obtained illegally.

The streaming giant, which released the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson-produced "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" on Tuesday, said they have the "necessary rights" to all footage used in the project – and that they had offered an interview to the music mogul, which he declined.

"The Reckoning," a four-part docuseries that dives into Combs' come-up in the music business (and later his downfall), employs a mix of interviews and some never-before-seen footage from the days before his arrest of federal sex-trafficking charges. Combs' team has since argued that the "biased Netflix production" used "stolen footage that was never authorized for release."

The filmmakers are vigorously denying such a claim.

"It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights. We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker's identity confidential," director Alexandria Stapleton told Tudum, Netflix's internal publication. "One thing about Sean Combs is that he's always filming himself, and it's been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs' legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back."

In a separate statement from a Netflix spokesperson, shared with USA TODAY Dec. 2, the streamer doubled down on that sentiment.

"The claims being made about 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' are false. The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix," the company said. "The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate."

Netflix's statement responds to claims from the Combs camp that 50 Cent's involvement with the project undermines its legitimacy, given the rapper's alleged personal grievances against the Bad Boy Records founder.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY, a spokesperson for Combs described "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" as a "shameful hit piece." Combs spokesperson Juda Engelmayer also told USA TODAY that his legal team would not be commenting "on individual claims being repeated in the documentary."

"Many of the people featured have longstanding personal grievances, financial motives, or credibility issues that have been documented for years," Engelmayer said. "Several of these stories have already been addressed in court filings, and others were never raised in any legal forum because they're simply not true. The project was built around a one-sided narrative led by a publicly admitted adversary, and it repeats allegations without context, evidence, or verification."

Combs is currently serving out a federal prison sentence in New Jersey, and separately facing an avalanche of civil suits accusing him of a long history of abusive behavior. He has maintained his innocence.

In July, Combs was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal criminal trial, largely considered a relatively favorable outcome as he was acquitted on more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was sentenced to just over four years in prison.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Netflix hits back at claims that Diddy documentary footage was stolen

Reporting by Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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