Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces at least five new sexual abuse lawsuits
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs is facing a new wave of sexual abuse accusations, with at least five more individuals accusing the disgraced star of sexually assaulting them in recent years.
The accusers, who are all remaining anonymous for the purpose of personal privacy and protection, are being represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who is currently acting on behalf of more than 100 clients against Combs.
Buzbee filed six lawsuits against Combs last week—which includes accusations between 1995 and 2021—and plans to file another seven more this week, all alleging the rapper drugged, sexually abused, and threatened them in several scenarios.
Of the new claims, one individual claims that Combs drugged him the same night he won the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the BET Awards in June 2022 and was used “like a party favour for (Combs’ guests) sexual enjoyment,” per Rolling Stone.
Another comes from a woman who claims she was 13 when Combs and another anonymous celebrity drugged and assaulted her after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. There is also a personal trainer who claims he was assaulted at Combs’ residence after the BET Awards after drinking a cocktail and entering a state of semi-consciousness, after which Combs “began performing non-consensual oral sex onto him.”
In response to the growing list of reports and accusations against Combs, the rapper’s defence recently filed a motion requesting a “gag” order, which would prohibit “further extrajudicial statements from prospective witnesses and their lawyers that substantially interfere with Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial.”
If granted, the order would prevent any new claims from being filed against the rapper, allowing his trial to go ahead only with the current filings against him. He currently awaits trial in a jail in Brooklyn and is facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges — all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.
According to Combs’ defence team, the new claims are nothing but a “clear attempt to garner publicity” and maintain that the star “never sexually assaulted anyone—adult or minor, man or woman.”
Combs appeared in court for the first time on October 10th, accompanied by his mother and some of his children. The proceeding confirmed the rapper will face trial in May 2025, a development which followed a statement by his mother insisting her son was innocent.
The music mogul was arrested on September 16th ahead of being charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs plans to plead not guilty to the alleged offences.
After Buzbee first came forward with a plan to file 120 sexual abuse accusations against Combs on behalf of anonymous accusers, Erica Wolff, who is currently representing Combs, released a statement condemning the claims.
“As Mr Combs legal team has emphasised, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” Wolff said, “That said, Mr Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.”
Wolff continued, “He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.