Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing six new lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, including accusations that he molested a 16-year-old boy at a party in 1998. The lawsuits filed in New York federal court are the first in what is expected to be a barrage of litigation by attorney Tony Buzbee, who says he represents at least 120 victims of Combs and his employees.
Combs, who has been in jail since September 16 on an indictment connected to racketeering, transporting for prostitution and sex trafficking, could also face a superseding indictment that amends the previous indictment with more allegations, prosecutors said last week. Although federal prosecutors have so far not alleged any sexual abuse of minors by Combs, one of the lawsuits filed Monday alleges a 16-year-old was invited to Combs’ 1998 White Party in the Hamptons, New York, where he was molested in a private room.
The lawsuit includes a photo of Combs and an obscured photo of the youth, and alleges Combs took him to a private area to chat. The teen was apparently interested in launching a music career but admitted his voice was not great, according to the lawsuit. Combs assured him that did not matter and made it clear that the “only thing that mattered was having the right look for the industry,” the lawsuit says.
More from CafeMom: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Has Been Put on Suicide Watch in Jail as He Awaits Trial
The lawsuit alleges Combs then groped the boy.
The lawsuit alleges Combs told the boy — only identified as John Doe — to drop his pants and expose his penis so that Combs could inspect it, explaining it was a rite of passage and the route to becoming a star, and also as a way to prove himself.
“Don’t you want to break into the business?” the lawsuit quotes Combs telling the teen. The youth immediately felt uncomfortable, froze and did not know what to do.
“Out of fear, anxiety and the imbalanced power dynamic between himself and Combs, John Doe then dropped his pants and exposed his penis as Combs previously instructed,” according to the lawsuit. “Combs moved closer and grabbed John Doe’s penis and genitals with his hand. He firmly cupped and held onto John Doe’s genitals for an extended period of time,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges, “Combs abruptly then let go of John Doe’s genitals and told him that his people would be in touch.”
The six lawsuits were filed in the Southern District of New York on behalf of three males and three females, none of whom is named in the filings. The incidents are alleged to have occurred from 1995-2021 and all claim the plaintiffs were sexually assaulted and/or raped.
Other plaintiffs have described their interactions with Diddy.
One woman alleged that in 1995, she was at a promotional party at Elks Plaza in New York City for the music video “One More Chance” by rapper Biggie Smalls and ended up in a bathroom with Combs. The lawsuit alleges after she resisted him, “he violently struck her, slamming her head against the wall and causing her to fall to the floor. Disoriented and in pain, Plaintiff tried to escape, but Combs hit her again, making it nearly impossible for her to move. Combs then lifted her dress and raped her…”
In another lawsuit, an unnamed man alleged he worked for Ecko Clothing in May 2008 and ran into Combs and his bodyguards in the stockroom of Macy’s flagship store in New York and alleges he was pistol-whipped and then forced to perform oral sex on Combs.
Buzbee, a personal injury lawyer based in Houston, said his firm expects to file cases on behalf of 120 people, an equal number of men and women, who allege they were exploited. He said he would name other celebrities involved.
Combs’ attorneys have not responded to the new lawsuits. But when Buzbee announced his representation of accusers, Combs attorney Erica Wolff responded with a statement, denying any wrongdoing by Combs.
Combs' lawyers have issued a statement.
“As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” the statement said. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. 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.”
Buzbee has alleged many of the accusers he has spoken to were drugged and one of them was a 9-year-old boy who was allegedly sexually abused by Combs and others while the boy was auditioning at Bad Boy Records in New York City.
The allegations mirror some details in the 14-page indictment released last month that accuses Combs of luring female victims to take part in “freak-offs” or elaborate sex performances, involving male sex workers that at times lasted days and were sometimes recorded. Combs and his associates, the indictment alleges, used violence, coercion, drugs, and bribes to get women to take part in the freak-offs and to keep the incidents secret.
Prosecutors claim people were to afraid to report the alleged abuses.
Prosecutors say victims feared they would be subjected to violence or their careers or finances would be harmed if they refused to participate. Buzbee said some of his clients have already been in contact with the FBI.
The lawsuits against Combs began last year, after Combs’ former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, accused him of rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking. Prosecutors have alleged Combs led a complicated scheme that would have required multiple people to not only know about the behavior but also be involved in recruiting victims, preparing hotel rooms with baby oil, drugs, and extra linens for the freak-offs, and cleaning up afterward.
“Combs did not do this all on his own,” Damian Williams, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in announcing the charges. “He used his business and employees of that business and other close associates to get his way.”
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times (TNS)
©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
