Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused in a lawsuit on Wednesday of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in 2003, the fourth sexual assault allegation made against the producer in recent weeks.
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, claims she was flown on a private jet from Michigan to Combs’ recording studio in New York, where she was raped by three people, including Combs and Harve Pierre, the president of Bad Boy Entertainment.
According to the lawsuit, Combs and his associates plied her with “copious amounts” of drugs and alcohol. The lawsuit alleges that Combs raped her over a bathroom sink as she passed in and out of consciousness, and that Combs then watched as a third man also raped her.
The woman decided to come forward after reading about another lawsuit filed last month by Casandra Ventura, the R&B star known as Cassie, who accused Combs of raping and beating her over the course of a decade. She also learned of another lawsuit accusing Pierre of grooming and sexually assaulting his former assistant.
“Seeing two other women courageously speak out against Mr. Combs and Mr. Pierre gave Ms. Doe the confidence to tell her story as well,” the suit says.
Combs quickly settled the lawsuit with Ventura while maintaining his innocence. He has also been hit with two other sexual assault lawsuits in recent weeks, which he has also denied.
In a statement on Wednesday, Combs declared “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”.
“For the past several weeks, I have sat silently and watched as people have attempted to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he said. “Disgusting allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I have done none of the terrible things that have been alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and the truth.
Combs stepped down as chairman of Revolt, the music-focused television network he founded in 2013, in the wake of the first three allegations.
The latest lawsuit was filed under New York City’s law against gender-based violence. Like several other sexual assault statutes, it was recently expanded to allow claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.
The plaintiff is being represented by Douglas Wigdor.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendants preyed upon a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that included plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City, where she was gang raped by the three individual defendants at Mr. Combs’ studio,” Wigdor said in a statement. “The depravity of these heinous acts has, not surprisingly, scarred our client for life.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, includes photographs of the plaintiff – whose face is blurred out – in Combs’ studio and sitting on Combs’ lap.
“As a result of being raped by Mr. Combs, Mr. Pierre, and the third assailant, Ms. Doe suffered significant emotional distress and feelings of shame that have plagued her life and personal relationships for 20 years,” the suit says.
