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Sean “Diddy” Combs has again been hit with a slew of new lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, including one claim alleging the hip-hop mogul molested a 16-year-old boy.
Combs, who has already been named in more than a dozen sexual assault lawsuits, was sued by six more people in Manhattan on Monday. The new filings claim Combs was abusive to the victims, who have not been named publicly, at various parties and industry events from 1995 to 2021.
Two of the six lawsuits centre around various “white parties” thrown by Combs, where guests dressed in all white clothing to celebrate the Fourth of July or Labour Day weekend at his home in the Hamptons.
One accuser said he was 16 at the time of a 1998 party, where Combs allegedly asked him to remove his pants and proceeded to touch the victim sexually, the Washington Post reported.
Combs told the teenager such conduct was a rite of passage for anyone attempting to break into the music industry, the filing states. The man, identified only as John Doe, said he complied out of fear and a hope Combs would help him secure a successful future.
The second White Party allegation comes from a man who said he was hired as security for the event in 2006. The anonymous accuser alleged he was served a drink laced with narcotics. While he was “extremely ill,” the man said Combs raped him in an open van.
In a statement, Combs’ lawyers denied any wrongdoing and said all of the lawsuits are “clear attempts to garner publicity.”
“In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone—adult or minor, man or woman,” his lawyers wrote.
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The I’ll Be Missing You rapper is expected to be named in more than 100 additional lawsuits, according to lawyers who said their clients’ allegations range from sexual assault and rape to sex trafficking and violent behaviour. The latest lawsuits come from this same pool of filings, led by Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee.
Combs, his various business enterprises, the department store Macy’s and the hotel chain Marriott were named as co-defendants in the six new lawsuits.
One accuser said she was raped by Combs in 2004 after while filming the reality TV show Making the Band. She said Combs invited her and a friend to an “exclusive” after-party at a Marriott hotel. Upon their arrival, the lawsuit claims one of Combs’ staffers told the two women, “You know what you are here for.”
The unnamed woman said she was 19 when Combs “fondled, molested and ultimately raped” her in the hotel room.
Another accuser said Combs sexually assaulted him at Manhattan’s Macy’s flagship store in 2008. According to the lawsuit, Combs was there to promote his clothing line, Sean John, when he cornered the John Doe in the stockroom with three of his bodyguards in tow. The man, who worked for a rival fashion brand, said Combs forced him to perform oral sex as his staffers watched.
Combs allegedly threatened the man’s life if he were to tell anyone about the assault, the filing states. Other accusers said the same, claiming Combs threatened them.
The fifth lawsuit sees a woman accuse Combs of becoming physically violent and raping her at a party celebrating the release of Notorious B.I.G.’s One More Chance music video at Elks Plaza in New York City in 1995.
Most recently, one accuser said he believed he was served a laced drink at a party thrown by Combs in 2021. The man, who said he is a consultant working in the music industry, alleged Combs brought him to a backroom and raped him while he was impaired.
Combs has also denied the racketeering, sex trafficking and prostitution charges against him in an ongoing federal investigation.
Last week, the rapper and his lawyers accused federal authorities of leaking the video of Combs’ physical assault against his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, among other information, to the press in an alleged attempt to deprive Combs of a fair jury trial.
Combs is still in custody and has repeatedly been denied bail. He was arrested last month.
Two judges have concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if he is released. On Friday, an appeals court judge denied Combs’ immediate release from jail while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request. One judge deemed Combs a “serious flight risk.”
He is scheduled to stand trial on the federal charges on May 5.
— With files from The Associated Press
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