Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing new allegations of r@pe, s@xual abuse and s@xual assault after a series of fresh lawsuits were filed on Monday.
At least six lawsuits were filed in New York federal court by two
women and four men. They include allegations that span from 1995 to 2021.
The unnamed accusers allege some of the assaults happened at Mr
Combs' parties, which were attended by major celebrities and music artists.
Lawyers for Mr Combs denied the allegations, saying in a statement
to the BBC that he "has never s@xually assaulted anyone - adult or minor,
man or woman".
One of the accusers said he was 16 when he attended one of the
parties in the Hamptons in 1998. In the lawsuit, he describes being thrilled to get an invitation to
Mr Combs' party, which became a premier A-list annual event for celebrities.
The accuser said he saw countless celebrities and music artists as
he walked around, and ran into Mr Combs while he was on the way to the
bathroom. He said he started talking to Mr Combs about breaking into the music
industry when they went to somewhere more private.
The accuser alleges that during their conversation, Mr Combs
abruptly ordered him to undress.
The lawsuit includes a photo of the pair together at the party with
the teen's face blurred out.
According to the lawsuit, Mr Combs said it was “a rite of passage”
and “the route to becoming a star". The rapper told the teen he could make
anyone a star and the teen had the right "look", the lawsuit states.
Another lawsuit filed on Monday includes
allegations by a woman who claims Mr Combs r@ped her in a hotel room in 2004
when she was a 19-year-old college student.
According to
the lawsuit, she met the music mogul at a photoshoot, where he then invited her
and a friend to attend a private party at his hotel. Once they arrived, the
lawsuit alleges that Mr Combs "fondled, molested, and ultimately r@ped
her” despite her repeatedly asking him to stop.
Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee, who is representing the accusers, said he is representing more than 100 people who plan to sue the rapper on allegations of s@xual assault, r@pe and s@xual exploitation.
Mr Buzbee
said that some of the alleged victims include children. He said the lawsuits
are being brought under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection
Act, which allows victims to file older claims.
"We will
let the allegations in the filed complaints speak for themselves, and will work
to see that justice is done," Mr Buzbee said in a statement after filing
the lawsuits Monday.
"We
expect to be filing many more cases over the next several weeks naming Mr Combs
and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare the
filings."
The lawsuits
are the latest of more than a dozen that have been filed against Mr Combs
recently, accusing the music mogul of assaults, r@pe and s@xual extortion.
He has denied
all civil and criminal claims against him.
Mr Combs is
facing federal criminal charges of racketeering and s@x trafficking. A judge
last week tentatively scheduled his trial to begin on 5 May 2025.
Mr Combs has
been held at the
Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York since his 16 September
arrest. His lawyers have argued for his release until the trial, citing the
jail’s “horrific” conditions.
A New York
federal judge denied their request for bail, arguing that Mr Combs was a
“serious flight risk”.
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