Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing six new lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, including allegations that he molested a 16-year-old boy at a party in 1998.
The lawsuit filed in New York federal court is the first in what is expected to be litigation by attorney Tony Buzbee, who said he represents at least 120 victims of Combs and his employees.
Combs, who has been in jail since September 16 on charges linked to racketeering, transportation for prostitution and sex trafficking, may also face a superseding charge that amends the previous charge with other allegations, prosecutors said last week.
Although federal prosecutors have so far not said there was any sexual abuse of minors by Combs, one of the lawsuits filed Monday alleges that the 16-year-old was invited to Diddy’s White Party in 1998 in the Hamptons, where he was molested in a private room.
The lawsuit includes a photograph of Combs and a photograph of an unidentified youth, and says Combs took him to a private area to talk to him. The teenager was apparently interested in launching a music career but admitted his voice was not good, according to the lawsuit. Combs assured them that was not a problem and explained that “the only thing that matters is finding the right industry,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleges Combs told the boy – known only as John Doe – to drop his pants and expose his penis so Combs could inspect it, explaining that it was a rite of passage and a route to stardom, and also a way to prove himself.
“Don’t you want to go into business?” The lawsuit quotes Combs telling the teenager. The young man immediately felt uneasy, frozen and did not know what to do.
“Due to fear, anxiety and the unbalanced power dynamic between him and Combs, John Doe then dropped his pants and exposed his penis as Combs had previously instructed,” according to the lawsuit.
“Combs reached over and grabbed John Doe’s penis and genitals with his hands. He grabbed and grabbed John Doe’s genitals for a long time,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says, “Comb then released John Doe’s genitals and told them they were going to have sex.”
The six lawsuits were filed in the Southern District of New York on behalf of three men and three women, none of whom were named in the filing. The incidents allegedly occurred from 1995-2021 and all claim the plaintiffs were sexually assaulted and/or raped.
One woman said that in 1995, she was at a promotional party at the Elks Plaza in New York City for the “One More Chance” music video by rapper Biggie Smalls and ended up in the bathroom with Combs.
The lawsuit alleges that after she refused, “he violently assaulted her, slamming her head against the wall and causing her to fall to the floor. Disoriented and hurt, Plaintiff tried to escape, but Combs hit her again, making it almost impossible for her to move. Combs then lifted her shirt and raped…”
In another lawsuit, an unnamed man claims he worked at Ecko Clothing in May 2008 and ran into Combs and his bodyguard in the stock room of Macy’s flagship store in New York and said he was pistol-whipped and then forced to perform oral sex on Combs.
Buzbee, a personal injury attorney based in Houston, said his firm expects to file cases for 120 people, an equal number of men and women, who say they were exploited. He said he would name the other celebrities involved.
Combs’ attorney has not responded to the new lawsuit. But when Buzbee announced the prosecutors’ representation, Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff responded with a statement, denying any wrongdoing by Combs.
“As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, they cannot deal with all the baseless allegations of what has become a reckless media circus,” the statement said. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies false and defamatory claims that he abused anyone, including minors. He expects to prove his innocence and vindicate himself in court if and when a lawsuit is filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.
Buzbee has alleged many accusers who have told him they were drugged and one of them was a 9-year-old boy who was allegedly sexually abused by Combs and others when the boy auditioned at Bad Boy Records in New York City.
The allegations reflect some of the details in a 14-page indictment released last month that accuses Combs of luring female victims to participate in “freak-offs” or elaborate sex shows, involving male sex workers who are sometimes present for several days and sometimes recorded. Combs and his associates, according to the indictment, used violence, coercion, drugs and bribes to get women to participate in the freak-offs and keep the incidents secret.
Prosecutors said the victims feared violence or their careers or finances would be harmed if they refused to participate. Buzbee said some of his clients have been in contact with the FBI.
The lawsuit against Combs began last year, after Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, accused him of rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Prosecutors say Combs presided over an elaborate scheme that required multiple people to not only know about the behavior, but also participate in recruiting victims, stocking hotel rooms with baby oil, drugs and extra linens for the odd people out, and cleaning up afterward. .
“Combs did not do this alone,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in announcing the charges. “He used his business and the employees of that business and other close friends to get his way.”
