A lawsuit worth an estimated $19 million has been filed against P Diddy by a former colleague who claims he is owed royalties from late rapper Notorious BIG.

James Sabatino used to work for Diddy, real name Sean Combs, at his company Bad Boy Entertainment Inc. and filed the lawsuit while serving time in prison.

He claims that he escorted BIG, real name Christopher Wallace, to a concert in Miami and to a recording session which led to 17 minutes of music and 90 minutes of video being made.

According to Billboard, Sabatino has insisted that part of the material belongs to him because he had a verbal contract with BIG agreeing he would get a stake if he paid for his own travel expenses and studio time.

P Diddy's representatives have not yet commented on the lawsuit.