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9 folks have filed sexual misconduct lawsuits towards Sean “Diddy” Combs since November 2023.
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Combs settled the primary lawsuit however has denied all of the allegations.
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Right here’s a timeline of all of the accusations towards the hip-hop mogul.
is searching for to dismiss a sexual misconduct lawsuit as he faces eight open civil lawsuits.
On Monday, Combs’ lawyer filed a movement six months after Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. made a number of allegations towards the rapper and businessman, together with grooming and trafficking.
Combs’ lawyer Erica Wolff informed Enterprise Insider in a press release by way of e mail: “Mr. Jones’s lawsuit is pure fiction — a shameless try and create media hype and extract a fast settlement. There was no RICO conspiracy and Mr. Jones was not threatened, groomed, assaulted, or trafficked. We sit up for proving — in a court docket of legislation — that every one of Mr. Jones’s claims are made-up and have to be dismissed.”
A day later, Jones Jr. doubled down on his accusations towards Combs in a brand new interview with , calling the rapper a “monster.”
Jones Jr. is one in every of 9 individuals who have filed lawsuits towards Combs since November 2023. These have broken Combs’ status as a hip-hop mogul and led to some firms reducing ties with him.
Combs settled the primary lawsuit, filed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura who accused him of rape and bodily assault in November.
Combs has denied all allegations, however in Could, he apologized in an Instagram publish for hitting Ventura after CNN printed a video displaying the rapper attacking her.
Combs may additionally face felony prices.
In March, by federal officers, with a number of experiences indicating the search was associated to a intercourse trafficking probe.
Combs was not charged on the time and denied any wrongdoing.
However in Could, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources, that federal investigators need to carry Combs’ accusers in entrance of a federal grand jury as half of a bigger case targeted on intercourse trafficking, cash laundering, and unlawful medication.
Right here’s a timeline of the sexual assault allegations Combs has confronted in the previous couple of months.
November 16, 2023: Ventura recordsdata the primary lawsuit.
Within the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court docket and reviewed by , Ventura accused Combs of years of bodily abuse, raping her of their dwelling, and forcing her to interact in intercourse acts with male intercourse staff. The pair had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2007 to 2018.
Ventura stated in a press release that she was talking up earlier than the expiration of , a yearlong suspension on the traditional time restrictions for sexual assault lawsuits, which ended on November 23, 2023.
“After years in silence and darkness, I’m lastly prepared to inform my story, and to talk up on behalf of myself and for the advantage of different girls who face violence and abuse of their relationships,” Ventura stated.
Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, denied the allegation in a press release to Enterprise Insider and accused Ventura of attempting to “tarnish” Combs’ status for cash.
“For the previous six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, underneath the specter of writing a harmful e-book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail,” Brafman stated.
BI reported that Douglas Wigdor, Ventura’s lawyer, stated Combs supplied Ventura an eight-figure sum to forestall her from talking out earlier than the swimsuit was filed.
The subsequent day, the reported that Ventura and Combs had settled the swimsuit. The settlement’s particulars weren’t publicly disclosed.
November 23, 2023: Two extra girls accuse Combs of sexual abuse.
On the eve of the expiration date for the Grownup Survivors Act, two extra girls accused Combs of sexual abuse in separate lawsuits.
reported that Joi Dickerson-Neal, one of many accusers, accused Combs of drugging her, sexually assaulting her, and videotaping the assault after a date in 1991. Dickerson-Neal stated the incident prompted her to grow to be withdrawn, and that she was identified later with scientific melancholy and dropped out of faculty.
The opposite accuser, who filed the swimsuit with out revealing her identification, stated that Combs and R&B singer Aaron Corridor sexually assaulted her and a buddy after a music business occasion in 1990 or 1991, in keeping with . The swimsuit stated that Combs got here to their dwelling a number of days later to silence them and choked the lady till she handed out, per AP.
A consultant for Corridor didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from BI.
A spokesperson for Combs informed AP that Combs denied each allegations and stated the ladies had been exploiting the Grownup Survivors Act.
Each circumstances had been pending as of late February, .
November 28, 2023: the allegations have an effect on Combs’ enterprise ventures.
Amid the quite a few lawsuits, Revolt, a cable tv community, introduced on that Combs was stepping down as chairman.
on December 3 that Hulu canceled an upcoming actuality present undertaking based mostly on Combs and his household referred to as “Diddy+7.” Rolling Stone additionally stated 23 manufacturers severed ties with Combs’ market for Black-owned companies, Empower International.
December 6, 2023: A girl accuses Combs and a couple of different males of raping her when she was 17.
The girl, who additionally filed the swimsuit anonymously, alleged that Combs, his longtime producing companion Harve Pierre, and an unnamed third man “intercourse trafficked and gang raped” her in 2003 when she was 17, in keeping with prior reporting by
The lawsuit stated Pierre flew the ladies to Combs’ studio in New York, the place they gave her medication and alcohol till she was too inebriated to consent.
“Whereas on the studio, Ms. Doe was gang raped by Mr. Combs, the Third Assailant and Mr. Pierre, in that order,” the swimsuit says. The swimsuit additionally included pictures of the accuser, along with her face blurred, within the New York studio.
Combs denied the allegation on Instagram and declared he was going to “battle for my title, my household and for the reality.”
“For the final couple of weeks, I’ve sat silently and watched folks attempt to assassinate my character, destroy my status and my legacy,” he stated. “Sickening allegations have been made towards me by people searching for a fast payday.”
Pierre didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
On February 20, 2024, reported that Combs, Pierre, and Combs’ firm, Unhealthy Boy Leisure, filed a response to the lawsuit. Combs’ attorneys refuted the allegation and questioned the accuracy of the pictures.
“(Combs) by no means participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently conscious of any misconduct, sexual or in any other case, referring to plaintiff in any circumstance in any respect,” the submitting says, per Rolling Stone.
Combs’ attorneys additionally stated the swimsuit ought to be thrown out as a result of they consider an modification to the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act, which allowed the unnamed girl to sue Combs, is unconstitutional.
The 2022 modification removes the statute of limitations for gender-based violence circumstances for 2 years, much like the Grownup Survivors Act.
Pierre additionally denied taking part in any sexual assault when he filed his protection. Unhealthy Boy Leisure motioned to dismiss the swimsuit towards them, arguing there is no such thing as a foundation that the Gender-Motivated Violence Act expands to company defendants.
December 7, 2023: Tiffany Crimson defends Ventura in an open letter printed in Rolling Stone.
Tiffany Crimson is a singer-songwriter who grew to become buddies with Ventura in 2015 whereas working collectively. In December 2023, Crimson wrote an open letter in to Combs, saying that she noticed Combs verbally abusing Ventura after Ventura’s twenty ninth birthday celebration in August 2015.
Crimson stated the incident occurred exterior a personal karaoke room that the group went to after the primary celebration. Based on Crimson, Combs pulled Ventura out of the room, cornered her along with his safety staff, and “cursed her out together with your palms in her face.”
“I felt helpless. She appeared afraid and stored trying down on the ground. I didn’t know what to do. I used to be scared,” Crimson stated.
In response, Combs’ spokesperson referred Rolling Stone to Combs’ Instagram .
February 26, 2024: Rodney Jones Jr. accuses Combs of sexual assault and drugging.
Jones’ swimsuit, filed in late February, lists a number of allegations towards Combs.
The swimsuit says Combs made Jones work in a rest room whereas Combs walked round bare and showered. Jones additionally accused Combs of grabbing his genitals with out consent, making an attempt to “groom” Jones into having intercourse with one other man, and forcing Jones to “solicit intercourse staff and carry out intercourse acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs.”
Jones alleged within the swimsuit he was not paid for his work on Combs’ newest album, in keeping with the . There may be a web-based with a press release studying “Assist Me Sue Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs,” which appears to have been began by Jones earlier this month.
Shawn Holley, an lawyer for Combs, accused Jones of mendacity to get cash from Combs.
“Lil Rod is nothing greater than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly searching for an undeserved payday,” she stated in a press release to BI. “His reckless name-dropping about occasions which can be pure fiction and easily didn’t occur is nothing greater than a clear try and garner headlines.”
Tyrone Blackburn, Jones’ lawyer, didn’t reply to a request to remark from BI.
March 25, 2024: Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami houses had been searched by the Division of Homeland Safety.
Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami houses had been officers in late March.
Representatives for DHS informed BI that authorities “executed legislation enforcement actions as a part of an ongoing investigation” however declined to specify a goal or motive behind the raids.
The and , citing law-enforcement sources, reported the search was a part of a intercourse trafficking investigation.
Aaron Dyer, an lawyer for Combs, in a press release despatched to BI the day after the search, maintained Combs’ innocence and stated the search carried out on his properties was “a gross overuse of military-level pressure as search warrants had been executed at Mr. Combs’ residences.”
“There isn’t a excuse for the extreme present of pressure and hostility exhibited by authorities or the best way his kids and workers had been handled,” Dyer’s assertion learn. “Mr. Combs was by no means detained however spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Regardless of media hypothesis, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his relations have been arrested nor has their capability to journey been restricted in any manner.”
No prices have been filed following the search.
Dyers’ assertion continued: “This unprecedented ambush — paired with a sophisticated, coordinated media presence — results in a untimely rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing greater than a witch hunt based mostly on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There was no discovering of felony or civil legal responsibility with any of those allegations. Mr. Combs is harmless and can proceed to battle each single day to clear his title.”
Just a few days after the incident, Combs’ ex-girlfriend Misa Hylton criticized the raid on Instagram, and shared a video that seemed to be taken from surveillance cameras on the rapper’s dwelling.
The video confirmed federal brokers detaining Justin Dior Combs, Combs’ 30-year-old son with Hylton, and Christian Combs, the rapper’s 26-year-old son with the late , however neither was charged.
“The over zealous and overtly militarized pressure used towards my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable,” Hylton wrote within the caption.
April 5, 2024: Combs is known as a co-defendant in lawsuit towards his son, Christian Combs.
On April 5, a lady named filed a lawsuit within the Los Angeles Superior Courtroom alleging Christian Combs assaulted her on a yacht the place she was working, which was chartered by Combs in December 2022. Combs was listed as a co-defendant.
Within the lawsuit, seen by BI, O’Marcaigh alleged Christian Combs grew to become “aggressive” throughout one shift, violently grabbed her arm, after which drugged and sexually assaulted her.
O’Marcaigh stated within the swimsuit that her profession was derailed as a result of “trauma” of the alleged assault.
Aaron Dyer, Combs, and Christian Combs’ lawyer denied the allegations, and stated the lawsuit was “lewd and meritless.” Dyer additionally stated they’d file “a movement to dismiss this outrageous declare.”
April 26, 2024: Combs motions to dismiss components of Dickerson-Neal’s lawsuit.
In late April, reported that Combs’ attorneys motioned to dismiss Dickerson-Neal’s allegations of human trafficking and revenge porn, calling the claims “false, offensive, and salacious.”
The attorneys stated that the allegations “had been introduced underneath statutes that didn’t exist on the time the alleged misconduct occurred.” They’re referring to the New York State revenge porn legislation, which was codified in 2019, and the New York Companies for Victims of Human Trafficking legislation, which didn’t come into impact till 2007.
Within the submitting, Combs’ attorneys additionally requested that the allegations towards the music mogul’s firms, Unhealthy Boy Leisure and Combs Enterprises, which had been fashioned after the incident in 1991, be dismissed. Each firms had been listed as defendants in Dickerson-Neal’s preliminary submitting.
Following Combs’ movement, Michelle Caiola, Dickerson-Neal’s lawyer, informed Enterprise Insider in an e mail: “We shall be submitting a response within the coming weeks. We’re assured Ms. Dickerson-Neal’s allegations towards Combs are sturdy, credible, and legally viable.”
Could 17, 2024: CNN publishes a video that reveals Combs assaulting Ventura.
In surveillance footage from 2016, printed by CNN on Could 17, .
The video reveals Combs trailing his then-girlfriend down a hallway. He then grabs Ventura by the again of the neck, throws her down, kicks her twice, and drags her physique throughout the ground. The footage corroborates an allegation within the federal lawsuit Ventura filed (and shortly settled) six months prior.
Based on the lawsuit, this explicit incident occurred on the now-closed InterContinental Lodge in Los Angeles. This was confirmed by CNN reporters who reviewed pictures of the situation.
In her grievance, Ventura stated she tried to depart the resort after Combs had punched her within the face, giving her a black eye. The uncovered footage appears to point out the aftermath when Combs chased after Ventura as she ran to the elevator.
Venutra declined to offer a remark to CNN. Her lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, stated in a press release: “The gut-wrenching video has solely additional confirmed the disturbing and predatory habits of Mr. Combs. Phrases can’t categorical the braveness and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has proven in coming ahead to carry this to gentle.”
Just a few hours after the video was printed, Ventura’s husband Alex High quality additionally shared a .
He captioned the publish: “Wrote this awhile again however the phrases ring true not simply as we speak however on a regular basis.”
Could 19, 2024: Combs apologizes for assaulting Ventura.
On Could 19, Combs shared an Instagram video captioned: “I’m really sorry.”
“. I take full duty for my actions in that video,” Combs stated within the video. “I used to be disgusted then once I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
Combs stated that he sought skilled assist, remedy, and rehab after the incident.
“I needed to ask God for his mercy and beauty. I’m so sorry. However I’m dedicated to be a greater man each day,” he added. “I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m really sorry.”
Combs has since deleted all Instagram posts on his account.
Representatives for Combs didn’t reply to a request for remark from BI.
Meredith Firetog, Ventura’s lawyer, informed in a press release on Sunday: “Combs’ most up-to-date assertion is extra about himself than the many individuals he has harm.”
Firetog added that Combs’ video was “disingenuous.”
“That he was solely compelled to ‘apologize’ as soon as his repeated denials had been confirmed false reveals his pathetic desperation, and nobody shall be swayed by his disingenuous phrases,” she stated.
Could 21, 2024: A former mannequin accuses Combs of sexually assaulting and drugging her.
Per a lawsuit obtained by Enterprise Insider, former mannequin Crystal McKinney stated that when she was 22, she met at a 2003 Males’s Vogue Week occasion in Manhattan.
She accused Combs of giving her copious quantities of alcohol and pressuring her to take marijuana she believed was laced, in keeping with the lawsuit.
McKinney stated that she was invited to Combs’ studio and claims that Combs pressured her to carry out oral intercourse on him, in keeping with the lawsuit.
McKinney stated that she grew to become unconscious and later awakened in a cab, in keeping with the lawsuit.
Representatives for Combs didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Could 23, 2024: Ventura speaks out and one other girl recordsdata a lawsuit towards Combs.
On Could 23, Ventura shared a press release on Instagram thanking the general public for his or her assist and asking folks to consider “victims the primary time.”
“The outpouring of affection has created a spot for my youthful self to settle and really feel protected now, however that is solely the start,” she wrote. “My solely ask is that EVERYONE open your coronary heart to believing victims the primary time. It takes loads of coronary heart to inform the reality out of a state of affairs that you just had been powerless in.”
Ventura additionally supplied assist to different victims of home violence.
“Home Violence is THE concern. It broke me right down to somebody by no means thought would grow to be. With loads of arduous work, I’m higher as we speak, however I’ll at all times be recovering from my previous,” she wrote.
Ventura added: “I supply my hand to those who are nonetheless residing in concern. Attain out to your folks, don’t minimize them off. Nobody ought to carry this weight alone.”
Afterward that day, one other girl, April Lampros, filed a lawsuit towards Combs.
The lawsuit lists a number of allegations together with sexual assault, battery, and assault. Lampros stated she met Combs in 1994 whereas she was a scholar at New York’s Vogue Institute of Expertise and he supplied to mentor her on the time.
“What Mr. Combs displayed as form gestures shortly manifested into an aggressive, coercive, and abusive relationship based mostly on intercourse,” the lawsuit stated.
Lampros alleged that Combs sexually assaulted her on 4 events between 1995 and 2001, with the final encounter occuring a number of years after the previous trend scholar ended her relationship with him.
Lampros additionally alleged that in 1996 Combs pressured her and his former girlfriend Kim Porter to take ecstasy and have intercourse with one another whereas he watched.
Lampros is represented by Tyrone Blackburn, who represented Jones and different girls suing Combs.
“I’m assured that justice will prevail and the veil shall be eliminated so no different girl must endure what I did,” Lampros informed in a press release.
Could 28, 2024: Rolling Stone drops exposé about Combs.
On Could 28, printed an investigation into Combs after interviewing his former buddies, colleagues, and artists at his label, Unhealthy Boy Information. The report featured new allegations towards Combs, however he has not been sued in relation to those alleged incidents.
Three unnamed girls who claimed they attended Howard College with Combs stated they witnessed him assaulting a lady on campus.
The mom and two shut buddies of Shakir Stewart, a music government who died in 2008, informed Rolling Stone that Combs broke a chair over Stewart’s head in 2000. They stated Combs attacked him as a result of Stewart tried to this point Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter.
Kirk Burrowes, the previous president of Unhealthy Boy Information, and Felicia Newsome, the primary supervisor of Unhealthy Boy’s recording studio, claimed that Combs attacked an unnamed girl contained in the label’s places of work in 1994 they usually needed to pull the rapper off her.
One other girl, who glided by the pseudonym of Anna, informed Rolling Stone that Combs tried to solicit her for intercourse whereas she was working as a contract graphic designer for Unhealthy Boy Information in 2001.
Davis, Combs’ lawyer, informed Rolling Stone in a press release that the rapper refused to reply to the brand new allegations.
“Mr. Combs can’t touch upon settled litigation, won’t touch upon pending litigation, and can’t tackle each allegation picked up by the press from any supply, regardless of how unreliable,” Davis stated. “We’re conscious that the right authorities are conducting a radical investigation and due to this fact believe any essential points shall be addressed within the correct discussion board, the place the foundations distinguish details from fiction.”
Representatives for Combs didn’t reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
Could 29, 2024: CNN experiences that Combs’ case could also be introduced earlier than a federal grand jury.
Combs’ authorized points might escalate to a felony trial, in keeping with a report printed Could 29.
CNN reported, citing unnamed sources, that federal investigators intention to carry Combs’ accusers to testify in entrance of a federal grand jury. Nonetheless, in keeping with the CNN report, the case can be targeted on intercourse trafficking, cash laundering, and unlawful medication.
Grand juries, that are comprised of residents, assess the proof offered by prosecutors and decide whether or not there’s sufficient “possible trigger” to place a person on trial.
The jury would decide if there’s sufficient proof to cost Combs. These hearings are held in secret, and solely the prosecutors are current, giving the prosecution a bonus in getting an indictment.
CNN additionally reported, citing unnamed sources, that federal brokers have already interviewed the general public who’ve filed lawsuits towards Combs and questioned people seen in a video filmed inside Combs’ home.
Representatives for Combs didn’t reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
A consultant for the Homeland Safety Investigations company declined to remark.
July 3, 2024: One other girl recordsdata a lawsuit towards Combs.
On July 3, , Fox Information, and TMZ reported that Adria English, a pornstar, accused Combs of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and intercourse trafficking in a lawsuit filed in a district court docket in New York.
The LA Instances reported English stated she labored for Combs between 2004 and 2009 and accused him of forcing her to have intercourse with company at his high-profile “white events.”
The publication reported that English claimed Combs pressured her to have intercourse with company, together with celeb jeweler Jacob Arabo, whereas she labored for Combs at his high-profile events in Miami and New York between 2004 and 2009.
English stated Combs threatened to “blackball” her from the leisure business if she didn’t have interaction in intercourse work on the events. English stated she went again to California in 2009 to flee Combs.
A consultant for Arabo didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from BI.
Jonathan Davis, Combs’ lawyer, informed Enterprise Insider in a press release: “Regardless of what number of lawsuits are filed, it gained’t change the truth that Mr. Combs has by no means sexually assaulted or intercourse trafficked anybody.”
“We dwell in a world the place anybody can file a lawsuit for any motive and with none proof. Fortuitously, a good and neutral judicial course of exists to seek out the reality and Mr. Combs is assured he’ll prevail towards these and different baseless claims in court docket.”
August 26, 2024: Combs recordsdata to dismiss Jones’ lawsuit.
Combs filed a brand new movement in Jones’ lawsuit towards him, requesting the court docket to dismiss the case.
The movement stated that Jones failed to offer sufficient proof for a number of allegations.
“Jones’ Second Amended Criticism is his third try to decorate up a run-of-the-mill industrial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy,” the movement reads. “Replete with legally meaningless allegations and blatant falsehoods, the SAC’s true function is to generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement.”
The movement additionally alleged that Jones posted a video on X during which he and rapper Uncle Murda joked in regards to the lawsuit. The video not exists on Jones’ X web page, however the movement gives a hyperlink to a different account that has reshared it.
Based on the account @ArtOfDialogue, the video was taken at 50 Cent’s Humor & Concord weekend pageant, which occurred between 7 to 11 August.
Lil Rod, who’s at the moment suing Diddy for $30 million over allegations of sexual assault, despatched a message to Diddy, saying he needs his cash by Monday, after being noticed by Uncle Murda at 50 Cent’s ‘Humor & Concord Weekend.
— The Artwork Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_)
Blackburn didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
August 27, 2024: Jones tells Rolling Stone that he’s been “blackballed” since his lawsuit towards Combs.
A day later, Jones spoke to Rolling Stone about working with Combs and why he determined to talk out.
Jones alleged that his first “uncomfortable” expertise with Combs was “round Thanksgiving” when Combs requested him to do medication. Jones didn’t specify whether or not this was 2022 Thanksgiving or 2023 Thanksgiving.
“He’s a monster. He’ll do no matter is important to get precisely what he needs. He doesn’t take no for a solution,” Jones stated of Combs.
Jones stated the lawsuit has affected his profession and he has discovered it “very robust” to seek out work since talking out.
“Right here I’m standing up for justice, for what I consider is correct for my life, and I’m being punished for that,” Jones stated. “I’ve had many nights and weeks and months of suicidal ideas. It’s the music that has stored me residing all my life.”
Jones additionally stated he has acquired threats and is paranoid at any time when he leaves his home. He stated he employed safety to guard him, however nonetheless had a “couple psychological breakdowns” whereas performing a gig with T-Ache in June.
“My nervousness was out the roof,” Jones stated of the incident. “I noticed completely different guys backstage I didn’t know and received scared. I questioned the place the safety was. It made me very uncomfortable. It’s not feeling questioning if somebody was there to assault me.”
Correction: Could 24, 2024 — An earlier model of this story misstated the date that Cassie Ventura spoke out. It was Could 23, 2024, not Could 23, 2023.
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