Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces five new lawsuits

By Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN

(CNN) — Five new lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs have been filed by both male and female accusers who allege they were drugged and sexually assaulted by the embattled music mogul, who now faces more than 30 civil complaints.

The claims span from 2001 to 2022 in incidents allegedly taking place in New York City, the Hamptons and Miami. The majority of the new lawsuits allege that plaintiffs were sexually assaulted at parties hosted by Combs, with one incident allegedly taking place at the producer’s White Party in 2004. One accuser claims in his lawsuit that he was assaulted by Combs and his associates at a casting call for a music video.

All accusers filed anonymously as either a “Jane Doe” or a “John Doe.” The two women claim they were 17 and 18 years old, respectively, at the time they were allegedly drugged and assaulted by Combs. All three male accusers claim they were drugged and sodomized by Combs.

Attorneys for Combs denied the claims, but did not respond to specific allegations in the lawsuits.

“As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process,” his attorneys said to CNN. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor.”

The new lawsuits come from attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the five new accusers along with co-counsel Andrew Van Arsdale. Last month, the lawyers said at a press conference that they were representing more than 100 plaintiffs with allegations against Combs. They have filed 20 lawsuits against Combs to date.

In a statement on Instagram, Buzbee wrote that he expects to file new cases against Combs on a weekly basis.

In a statement to CNN, Combs’ attorneys took aim at Buzbee, claiming that his “barrage of lawsuits” are “shameless publicity stunts designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”

This week, Buzbee was sued for extortion by an anonymous celebrity who claims the attorney falsely and maliciously roped him into the allegations against Combs. Buzbee denied the allegations in that complaint.

The latest lawsuits against Combs lay out similar patterns of allegations, including attending or being recruited by Combs’ associates to attend a party or an audition, and being handed a drink that ultimately caused the plaintiff to feel dizzy or lose consciousness before they were assaulted.

One Jane Doe was 17 at the time she alleges she was assaulted by Combs at his July 4th White Party in 2004. She said in her lawsuit that she spotted many recognizable celebrities at the event, though none are named or accused of wrongdoing.

She claims she was “required” by Combs’ staff to “hand over her purse and cellphone prior to entering” the party. After she was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted, Jane Doe claims she was threatened by Combs and his bodyguards who said “she would be in danger if she spoke about what had occurred, stating that he ‘ran New York and would ruin her.’”

Another accuser, who describes himself as an actor in the late ’90s and early aughts at the time he claims he was sodomized by Combs, said in his lawsuit that he was recruited by one of Combs’ casting directors to audition for a music video in New York City in 2001.

According to the complaint, Combs told the John Doe to “take his shirt off” at the audition and asked if he was “comfortable with potentially doing nude scenes.” John Doe states he was offered an alcohol drink by the female casting director, but declined the drink and was handed a Diet Coke in a glass. He believes the soda was spiked with drugs because he “pass[ed] out” and then woke up “semi-conscious and disoriented,” realizing that his pants were “pulled down to his ankles and his shirt was pulled over his head.”

The John Doe details how he was sexually assaulted by both Combs and his bodyguard and sought medical care due to injuries he sustained during the alleged incident.

Combs is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial set for spring of 2025 on counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors have said they are continuing their investigation with the grand jury, and could potentially supersede the indictment with additional charges or more defendants. On Friday, Combs’ lawyers will make a third attempt at bail after two previous petitions were denied.

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