What are the allegations against P Diddy?

Sean “Diddy” Combs, a rapper and music mogul credited with helping propel the careers of some of the biggest stars in recent years, is now facing multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape become.

Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and many other names, has undergone countless reinventions since the beginning of his career – but has since entered a new and unwelcome “era.”

Federal agents from the U.S. Homeland Security raided two of the rapper’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25 amid a series of different allegations against him.

Combs, 54, has firmly denied all allegations made against him. His lawyers branded the lawsuits and their allegations a money grab, “baseless” or “disgusting.”

The entertainer has not been formally charged or accused of a crime by federal prosecutors.

The new lawsuits come months after Combs’ former partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against him in November. She accused him of raping her in 2018, beating her, requiring her to carry a gun to “make her uncomfortable and show how dangerous he is,” and forcing her into “unwanted sexual encounters with male sex workers.” have.

Ms. Ventura’s lawsuit against Combs was settled a day after she filed it for an undisclosed amount of money.

The numerous allegations in lawsuits against Combs date back to the 1990s, when he founded his own record label, Bad Boy Records.

All allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs:

The lawsuits against the rapper began on November 16, 2023, when he was sued by singer and dancer Cassie, his former partner, who accused him of years of abuse.

It was filed shortly before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act. This law gave adult victims of sexual assault a one-year window to pursue civil claims, regardless of the statute of limitations.

Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura

R&B singer Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit in 2023 alleging she was trafficked, raped and beaten by Combs multiple times over the course of 10 years.

Her lawsuit alleged that not long after she met him, Combs introduced the singer to his “showy, fast-paced, drug-fueled lifestyle” and signed her to his label in 2005, when she was just 19 and he was 37.

Ms. Ventura said the pattern of abuse began as soon as their relationship began and that when she tried to end it in 2018, he forced his way into her Los Angeles home and raped her.

The lawsuit against Combs was settled a day after she filed it for an undisclosed amount of money.

Ms. Ventura told CNN she had chosen to “resolve this matter amicably,” while Combs’ lawyer said the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing” and did not change his denial of the allegations.

Her allegations against Combs were made through the New York Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which expired at midnight on November 23, 2023.

The law gave survivors a one-year window to file a civil lawsuit regardless of when the abuse occurred, meaning decades of incidents finally came to light.

More than 2,500 cases were filed under the ASA before it expired at midnight on November 23, 2023, according to court data provided to The Independent showed.

Survivors filed lawsuits against some of the state’s most powerful men, including major entertainment industry players such as Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Axl Rose and Combs.

Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones

In the most recent lawsuit against Combs, filed in New York on February 26, 2024, producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones alleged that he was “subjected to unwanted advances from Diddy’s employees at his direction” and was forced to enter into relationships with them Sex workers Combs had hired.

The producer, who worked for Combs between September 2022 and November 2023, alleged that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him for more than a year.

He said he had video and audio evidence that Combs, his associates and others “committed serious illegal activities.” The lawsuit identified rapper 50 Cent’s former girlfriend and the mother of one of his children, Daphne Joy, as one of the alleged sex workers.

The lawsuit also alleges that Combs regularly hosted “sex-trafficking parties” involving underage women and illegal drugs, and implies that look-alike record company executives benefited financially from access to celebrities and dignitaries, including British royalty Prince Harry.

Prince Harry is not accused of any wrongdoing or attending parties himself.

said Combs’ attorney The Los Angeles Times that the lawsuit “contains reckless name-calling about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen.”

Ryan Mendelsohn, 20, who used to live in the area where Combs’ Los Angeles property was searched, told reporters that he would see parties inside the house and women outside until 6 a.m., which is not common.

“I often drive by and see this – lots of girls, maybe five or six outside, some walking away, some not, some walking in,” he said, according to NBC News.

“I never thought anything of it,” said Mr. Mendelsohn, who added that he did not know Combs lived there until the news broke on Monday. “But now it’s crazy.”

Joie Dickerson Neal

In November 2023, Joie Dickerson-Neal filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs drugged her, sexually assaulted her and secretly recorded the assault when she was a student in 1991, NBC News reported, citing the filing.

She claimed Combs pressured her to go to dinner with him and she “reluctantly” agreed on January 3, 1991, when she claimed she was drugged “which resulted in her turning into a drug.” was in a physical condition in which she could not stand or walk independently. “, reported the BBC.

The lawsuit also claims he recorded the attack and showed it to other people.

She later filed police reports in New York and New Jersey and spoke with prosecutors, but colleagues told her they were “afraid that Combs would retaliate against them and that they would lose future business and music opportunities if they made a statement.” in support of”. her, NBC News reported, citing the lawsuit.

More and more women are coming forward

Since November, three other women have filed lawsuits in the Southern District of New York alleging they were sexually abused by Combs, according to NBC News.

Two of the women said they were teenagers at the time of the alleged attacks.

Anonymous plaintiff

In November, an anonymous plaintiff accused Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall of raping her and a friend in 1990 or 1991 after they met at an MCA Records event in New York, where the singers were “very flirtatious and skilled.” were and offered them drinks. Rolling Stone reported.

The lawsuit alleges that Combs and Hall invited the women to an afterparty at Hall’s apartment, where the plaintiff was “offered more drinks and forced to have sex with Combs” and was left “shocked and traumatized” before ” Hall stormed into the room.” “He held her down and forced Jane Doe to have sex with him,” according to Rolling Stone.

After speaking with her friend, the plaintiff allegedly discovered that she had also been “forced to have sex with Combs and Hall in another room,” according to the lawsuit.

A few days later, Combs allegedly visited the plaintiff and her friend at a home where they were staying, where he “became angry and began attacking and choking Jane Doe until she passed out,” the complaint states.

Unnamed Accuser “Jane Doe”

In December, Combs faced another lawsuit alleging he drugged and raped a 17-year-old girl in 2003.

The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, accused Combs of plying her with drugs and alcohol in his New York studio and then raping her with two partners.

The lawsuit accuses Combs of running a “sex trafficking scheme” in which Jane Doe was flown on a private jet from her home in Michigan to New York.

Combs’ response to the allegations

Sean Combs has firmly denied all allegations made against him and vowed to “fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

In a statement in December following the Jane Doe lawsuit, he called the claims “disgusting” and said his accusers were “looking for a quick payday.”

“Let me be clear: I did none of the terrible things that are alleged,” he said in a statement. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Combs’ attorney, Shawn Holley, called the events described in the lawsuit “pure fiction.”

“We have overwhelming, indisputable evidence that his claims are complete lies,” he said. “We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them.”

After the settlement with Ventura, Ben Brafman, another of Combs’ attorneys, said The Independent: “Just so we are clear: a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.

“Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit in no way undermines his categorical denial of the claims.

“He is pleased that they have reached an amicable agreement and wishes Ms. Ventura all the best.”