Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the renowned producer, is facing fresh allegations of sexual assault, making it the third civil complaint filed against him in recent weeks. The new complaint, filed on Wednesday and obtained by CNN, accuses Combs of sex trafficking, gang rape, and other serious allegations. Harve Pierre, the former president of Combs’ company Bad Boy Entertainment, along with a third assailant, is also named in the complaint.
In response to the lawsuit, Combs released a statement through his representative Nathalie Moar, stating, “Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation, and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family, and for the truth.”
CNN has reached out to representatives of Bad Boy Entertainment and Harve Pierre for comment on the allegations.
The lawsuit is being brought by a woman referred to as Jane Doe, who was allegedly 17 at the time of the assault in 2003. The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The alleged assault has had a significant impact on Jane Doe’s life, causing emotional distress and feelings of shame for over 20 years, according to the complaint. She is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Douglas H. Wigdor, founding partner of Wigdor LLP, stated in a CNN interview, “As alleged in the complaint, Defendants preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang-raped by the three individual defendants at Mr. Combs’ studio. The depravity of these abhorrent acts has, not surprisingly, scarred our client for life.”
Jane Doe is suing the defendants for violation of the New York Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law. This law allows survivors of gender-motivated violence to pursue civil actions for a longer duration by extending the statute of limitations. It is applicable to acts committed by parties involved in gender-motivated violence. The law opened a two-year window in March, allowing survivors of gender-based violence to take legal action in civil court, even if the statute of limitations on the alleged offenses has expired. The law is set to expire in 2025.
In November, Combs was sued for rape and abuse by his former partner, singer Cassie Ventura, under the now-expired New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The parties reached a settlement one day after Ventura filed the lawsuit. “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support,” said Ventura in a statement.
Combs’ representative emphasized that the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing” and “does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims.”
In addition to Ventura’s lawsuit, Combs faced another lawsuit filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, which accused him of drugging, sexually assaulting, and victimizing a woman through revenge porn.
These allegations against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are serious and disturbing. It remains to be seen how the legal proceedings will unfold and what evidence will be presented.
