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Sean Combs sexual misconduct allegations

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Sean Combs in 2007

American rapper Sean Combs (also known as Diddy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy) has faced repeated accusations of sexual misconduct for incidents dating from 1991 to 2023. He has faced at least 10 civil lawsuits related to abuse and sexual misconduct, and has also faced accusations of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. He pleaded not guilty to all his federal criminal charges from 2024.[1]

In 1990, a woman accused him and R&B singer Aaron Hall of sexually assaulting her and her friend. Between November and December 2023, he was accused of sexual misconduct by four women including his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who alleged that she had been raped, trafficked and physically assaulted by Combs multiple times under a period of ten years.[2] Over the next few months, numerous civil complaints were filed by claimants who alleged that they had been sexually abused by Combs between 1991 and 2009, and many more are in the planning stages as of October 2024. He was further accused of sexual assault by his former producer Rodney Jones in February 2024 and, in September of the same year, he was federally charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.[3][4]

On October 1, 2024, the Washington Post reported that a team of lawyers will be filing as many as 120 more lawsuits, covering assaults that took place during the 2000s and 2010s. Plaintiffs, 25 of whom are minors, are both male and female. Half of the alleged victims say they reported the assault to police, to a doctor, or to the FBI. Some claim to have been drugged or offered hush money. Additional potential defendants other than Combs are also to be named in the lawsuits.

On October 10, 2024, a federal judge set May 5, 2025, as the start date for Combs' criminal trial.[5]

Civil lawsuits

Cassie Ventura in 2008

In May 2017, Cindy Rueda, who previously served as Combs's personal chef, filed a lawsuit against Combs in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming, among other things, sexual harassment and retaliation.[6] The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount in February 2019.[7] Cassie Ventura, with whom Combs had a long-term relationship, filed a lawsuit against him on November 16, 2023, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse.[8] The lawsuit also suggested that Combs was responsible for blowing up Ventura's then-boyfriend Kid Cudi's car.[8][9] Combs and Ventura reached an undisclosed settlement the following day, and the lawsuit was dismissed.[10] On May 17, 2024, CNN released surveillance footage of Combs physically assaulting Ventura at the InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, on March 5, 2016. This incident was among the allegations made in the lawsuit.[11] On May 19, 2024, Combs issued a video apology on Instagram and Facebook, stating he was "truly sorry" and that his actions were "inexcusable".[12] Combs's assault of Ventura was stopped by hotel staff, after which Combs allegedly tried to bribe the staff, according to a federal indictment in September 2024.[13]

On November 23, 2023, two more lawsuits were filed. Liza Gardner alleged that Combs and Guy's Aaron Hall had sexually assaulted her and her friend in 1990.[14][3] Joi Dickerson-Neal alleged that in 1991 Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her and shared the video of her sexual assault.[3]

On December 6, 2023, in a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York, a Jane Doe alleged that as a teenager, she was flown on a private jet from Detroit to New York by Bad Boy Records' then president Harve Pierre. While in New York, she claims she was gang-raped at a recording studio by Combs, Pierre, and a third assailant.[15]

On February 26, 2024, producer Rodney Jones filed another lawsuit accusing Combs of sexually assaulting him during the time that he had worked for Combs between September 2022 and November 2023.[15] In May, another lawsuit by model Crystal McKinney accused Combs of sexually assaulting her in 2003.[16]

On May 23, 2024, April Lampros sued Combs in New York State court alleging battery, sexual assault, and negligent infliction of emotional distress between 1994 into the 2000s.[15]

On June 10, 2024, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith filed a lawsuit in Lenawee County, Michigan alleging that Combs had sexually assaulted him at a party in 1997. Due to Combs' failure to appear in court on September 9, Cardello-Smith was awarded a default judgment of $100 million and a temporary restraining order preventing Combs from selling assets. Both were overturned on September 18 by the same judge, who cited improper service.[17]

On September 10, 2024, Making the Band's Dawn Richard filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging sex trafficking, sexual assault, sexual battery, false imprisonment, and more. In her complaint, Richard also confirmed she was a witness to the claims made in Ventura's lawsuit.[15][18]

On September 24, 2024, Thalia Graves filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging he and his head of security drugged her, bound her, and raped her in 2001 when she was 25 years old, and recorded the incident.[19]

On September 27, a Florida model filed as a Jane Doe alleging Combs drugged, sexually assaulted, and impregnated her. Although she wound up having a miscarriage, she claims Combs' then girlfriend, rapper Yung Miami, pressured her to have an abortion.[20][21]

On October 1, 2024, the Washington Post reported that a team of lawyers will be filing as many as 120 more lawsuits, covering assaults that took place during the 2000s and 2010s. Plaintiffs, 25 of whom were minors at the time of the alleged incidents, are both male and female. Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys on the team, said most of the alleged assaults took place in New York State. Half of the alleged victims say they reported the assault to police, to a doctor, or to the FBI. Some claim to have been drugged or offered hush money. Additional potential defendants other than Combs are also to be named in the lawsuits: "The names that we're going to name, assuming our investigators confirm and corroborate what we've been told, are names that will shock you", Buzbee commented at a press conference in Houston. "I'm talking here about not just the cowardly but complicit bystanders, that is those people that we know watched this behavior occur and did nothing. And I'm talking about the people that participated, encouraged it, egged it on. They know who they are."[22] Buzbee filed the first six of these lawsuits in New York federal court on October 13, 2024.[23] Andrew Van Arsdale of the AVA Law Group, which is working with Buzbee, said they have heard from some 3,000 people with abuse allegations against Combs, and the team is currently actively examining another 100 potential cases.[24] Erica Wolff, a member of Combs's legal team, told the BBC that Combs "looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation".[24][25]

On October 14, Combs faced 6 more lawsuits from accusers.[26]

Law enforcement raids and criminal prosecution

On March 25, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security raided Combs' properties in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami using a Southern District of New York search warrant in connection with an unspecified ongoing investigation.[27] Federal agents confiscated computers and other electronic devices.[28]

According to the Miami Herald, federal agents questioned Combs at Opa-Locka Airport on March 25. The agents seized a number of electronic devices before allowing him to leave for his planned vacation to Antigua and Barbuda.[29][30]

Combs was arrested by US Homeland Security investigators in Manhattan on September 16, 2024, after a grand jury indicted him.[31][32] He was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.[33] Combs pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance at a Manhattan federal courthouse on September 17, 2024.[34] During this court appearance, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied Combs bail and ordered him to remain in federal custody.[35] On September 18, a second judge, Andrew L. Carter Jr., denied bail due to concerns about potential witness threats and intimidation, despite his attorneys' offer of a $50 million bond.[36] Combs is incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

On October 10, 2024, New York federal judge Arun Subramanian set for Combs' trial to start on May 5, 2025.[37][38]

Industry and company responses

On November 24, 2023, Macy's announced that they were pulling all Sean John clothing from their department and online stores, effectively ending their partnership with Combs.[39] Four days later, Combs stepped down as chairman of Revolt TV.[40] Tsuri, Nuudii System, Fulaba, and House of Takura all ended their affiliations with Combs's e-commerce business, Empower Global.[41][42][43]

Hulu cancelled production for a planned reality series that centered on Combs and his family. A spokesperson for Hulu's parent company, The Walt Disney Company, said that "the show was in the nascent stages and is not currently in production".[44] On December 23, 2023, the Recording Academy decided to "re-evaluate" Combs's invitation to the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024.[45] He was nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album for Love Album: Off the Grid, but did not attend the ceremony.[46][47]

During a live performance in November 2023, Kesha changed the opening lyric of her 2009 hit "Tik Tok" from "wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy" to "wake up in the morning feeling like just me".[48] At a Coachella performance with Reneé Rapp in April 2024, Kesha changed the lyric to "wake up in the morning like fuck P. Diddy".[49] She has also stated in interviews that she plans to permanently perform the Coachella version of the lyrics going forward, and has encouraged fans to learn this version of the song to sing along at concerts.[50]

By April 2024, Combs's radio airplay and streaming figures decreased by 88% and 51.8% respectively.[51][52] In May 2024, Australian radio personality Stav Davidson and Sussan Ley, deputy leader of the Australian Opposition, called for a boycott or permanent ban of Combs's music from streaming services and radio.[53] Fitness brand Peloton Interactive removed Combs's music from their fitness classes and playlists, after initially announcing that it would "pause" the usage of it.[54]

On June 7, 2024, Howard University announced that it was revoking Combs's honorary doctorate. They also returned his $1 million donation and terminated his pledge agreement.[55] Nine days later, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the rescinding of Combs's key to the city, which he was awarded in September 2023.[56] On June 28, 2024, the offices of Miami-Dade County district attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle revoked Sean "Diddy" Combs Day, a city-wide holiday in Miami Beach, Florida inaugurated in his honor on October 13, 2016.[57]

Radio stations across the world began editing songs to remove references to Combs and his stage names, including ones from SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, and others. However, some Audacy stations still continued to play his songs as of September 2024.

On September 19, 2024, when Maren Morris performed her song "Rich" at the Bourbon & Beyond music festival, she removed the Diddy reference from the lyric "Me and Diddy drippin' diamonds like Marilyn" of the song and replaced it with a reference to Dolly Parton, following his recent arrest.[58][59]

On September 28, 2024, at a Jonas Brothers concert at the LDLC Arena in Paris, France, when Joe Jonas performed DNCE's song "Cake by the Ocean", he changed the lyric "Walk for me, baby / I'll be Diddy, you'll be Naomi" to "Walk for me, baby / I'll be watching you be Naomi". The changes came as Combs was arrested and charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force.[60][61][62]

Also in September, Netflix announced the development of a television documentary miniseries centering on the allegations, titled Diddy Do It, which would be executive produced by 50 Cent, who stated that proceeds from the project would be going to victims of sexual assault and rape.[63][64]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Ventura v. Combs, 1:23-cv-10098 - CourtListener.com
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  53. ^ Woods, Aleia (May 21, 2024). "Australians Are Calling for Diddy's Music to Be Banned From Their Radio Stations". XXL Mag. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
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  55. ^ Frehse, Rob; Respers, Lisa; Campbell, Josh; Wagmeister, Elizabeth (June 7, 2024). "Howard University revokes Sean Combs' honorary degree and terminates $2 million gift and pledge agreement". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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  63. ^ Hailu, Selome (September 25, 2024). "50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: 'It's a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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