Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has a message for the word: He's not a deadbeat dad.

The Bad Boy Entertainment overlord has lashed out at an appeals court ruling that slapped him with what's believed to be the highest child support payment in New York state history, promising to appeal and calling the decision an assault on his character.

Last month, the New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division ordered Diddy to increase his monthly checks from $5,000 to $21,782 to former flame and fashion stylist Misa Hylton-Brim for the care of their 11-year-old son, Justin.

"It's not about money. I don't care how much money I have," Combs groused to the Associated Press. "If you come to me and say I don't take care of my child, I'm going to take care of that to the end."

As it stands, things could have been a lot worse. The hip-hop mogul was initially ordered to pay $35,000 a month in child support by Westchester County Family Court Judge David Klein. That ruling, handed down last August, was based on an examination of Diddy's 2002 federal tax return. The sum was reduced to the $21,000 figure on appeal, with the higher court ruling that Klein used a faulty method to calculate the support payments.

Combs--who already ponies up more than $120,000 per year to cover Justin's private-school tuition, health insurance, clothes and full-time nanny, among other expenses--now plans to take his case before the Court of Appeals, New York's highest judicial authority, as a matter of principle.

Noting that billionaire Ron Perelman was ordered to pay only $12,000 per month in child support a few years ago, Diddy argues that he's being held to a different standard.

"I don't think that it would be like that with someone else," Combs said. "I do take care of my child to the fullest, that's something that should be rewarded. It's not something that should be handled this way."

The rapper also claimed that Hylton-Brim was being greedy, believing the $35,000 monthly sum she originally sought was really "adult support" to help offset her own finances during her divorce from her current husband, who's the father of her other children.

Hylton-Brim reportedly earns more than $400,000 a year as the stylist for the likes of Mary J. Blige and Lil' Kim. But she was able to convince Klein that she was due more money for Justin because Diddy was a Daddy Warbucks, bringing in $16 million, per his 2002 tax filing.

Another strike against Combs was the $30,000 per month he reportedly shells out in child support payments to another former girlfriend, model Kim Porter, for a second child, Christian Casey Combs. (Diddy disputes that figure, saying it's really $12,000 per month.)

Hylton-Brim's lawyer, Brett Kimmel, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, but he previously told the Associated Press that his client proved in court that the payment increase was necessary.

There was no immediate word from Combs' legal eagles on the timetable for the appeal--maybe because they have their hands full right now.

According to Celebrity Justice, an employee of Puffy's Sean John clothing label filed a federal sexual harassment lawsuit against the company on May 18, claiming she had been subjected to sexually explicit remarks by a coworker.

While Combs wasn't named as a defendant, should the woman's allegations pan out, he would probably be on the hook financially since any settlement would likely be paid from corporate coffers.

Combs released a statement saying: "Sean John and Bad Boy have a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment and have procedures in place to address such claims."

And in other Diddy-related legal news, Combs' former business partner and ex-Bad Boy President Kirk Burrowes pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and is expected to be sentenced to 10-16 months in prison.

As part of the plea deal, Burrowes, 42, admitted removing evidence hours before federal agents raided his Harlem home as part of a drug-money laundering investigation.

Burrowes was a godfather to one of Combs sons before the two had a falling out over business issues and Comb fired him. Burrowes filed a $25 million lawsuit against Combs in 2003, accusing the rap kingpin of cheating Burrowes out of his share of Bad Boy's profits. He also claimed Combs threatened him with a baseball bat to force him to sign over his stake in the company, and Burrowes even called Combs a murderous thug, alleging he ordered the hit on Tupac Shakur. The suit was eventually thrown out.