close
close

Sean “Diddy” Combs seeks dismissal of rape lawsuit, calling allegations false – The Zimbabwe Mail

FILE – This Jan. 4, 2018, file photo shows Sean Combs attending “The Four” panel discussion during the FOX Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, California. The music mogul announced the hit series on Monday, discovering groups like platinum-seller Danity Kane would be returning to MTV in 2020. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK – Sean “Diddy” Combs has taken legal action to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him and two co-defendants of raping a 17-year-old girl in a New York recording studio in 2003, describing the claims as ” “wrong” means vile.”

According to the Associated Press, Combs, along with his legal team, contends that the lawsuit was filed too late under the law, marking the latest refutation of a series of similar lawsuits and a concurrent criminal investigation into sex trafficking.

In the filing Friday, the 54-year-old hip-hop mogul and his affiliates vehemently deny the allegations and denounce the immense damage done to their reputations and businesses by what they say are baseless allegations.

The lawsuit, filed in December and later amended in March by a woman now living in Canada, alleges that she was flown to New York by then-president of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment record label, Harve Pierre , where she was allegedly given drugs and alcohol until she could no longer consent to sexual activity.

The lawsuit also alleges that Combs, Pierre and another person took turns raping her.

The defense’s legal maneuver aims to dismiss the case “without prejudice” and prevent it from being refiled in order to protect the defendants from further reputational damage and conserve judicial resources.

In response to the filing, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, Michael J. Willemin, dismissed Combs’ actions as a “desperate attempt” to evade responsibility and claimed that the motion would not prevent the plaintiff from seeking justice.

At this stage the dispute revolves around procedural arguments rather than the merits of the case. Some of the lawsuits against Combs are based on decades-old allegations and fall under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily suspended certain legal deadlines to allow victims of sexual assault to seek compensation for past abuse.

Although the time limits set by that law have expired, the lawsuit at issue in Combs’ motion was brought under a different law, New York’s Gender-Based Violence Victims Protection Act, which allows civil lawsuits for sexual assault beyond the statute of limitations.

However, Combs’ legal team believes that the lawsuit was filed too late under this law because it is superseded by New York State law, so the filing must be considered timely by August 2021. Despite the plaintiff’s attempts to address these issues in the amended complaint, Combs’ attorneys argue that the revisions are inadequate.

The judge presiding over the case has ruled that the plaintiff must disclose her identity if the lawsuit continues after this legal challenge. The public airing of the allegations against Combs began with a lawsuit filed in November by singer Cassie, Combs’ former protégé and girlfriend, alleging a series of abuses from 2005 to 2018.

That lawsuit was settled shortly after it was filed, with Combs denying the allegations. More lawsuits followed, culminating in a March 25 raid by Homeland Security Investigations on Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami residences as part of a sex trafficking investigation.

Although no charges have been filed against Combs, the investigation is ongoing. Last month, Combs tried to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Joi Dickerson, who accused him of drugging and sexually abusing her when she was 19.

In light of these developments, the legal battle surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to intensify as he and his legal team defend themselves against allegations that threaten to tarnish his reputation and legacy in the entertainment industry.