In a press conference held by attorney Tony Buzbee, it was revealed that 120 accusers have come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Sean “Diddy” Combs that occurred over the past 20 years. Buzbee stated that they plan to expose the enablers who allowed this behavior to happen behind closed doors and have collected evidence including pictures, videos, and texts. He mentioned that more than 3,000 individuals have approached his office with accusations against Combs, with plans to file lawsuits in various states and name other defendants. The majority of the accusers are from New York, California, Georgia, and Florida, and 62% identify as African American. Shockingly, the youngest victim was only nine years old at the time of the occurrence, while 25 of the accusers were minors when the incidents took place as early as 1991.
Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York after being charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. Despite being denied bail twice, his legal team filed paperwork for an appeal ahead of another bail decision. Buzbee, the attorney representing the accusers, has a history of handling high-profile lawsuits, including those against BP in 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2021 for sexual misconduct allegations. He has also filed a $750 million lawsuit against Travis Scott following a fatal crowd crush at a music festival. Combs’ legal troubles began with a civil suit filed by his ex-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, accusing him of assault and sex trafficking during their relationship. Though Combs denied the claims, he settled with Ventura in an undisclosed agreement. Surveillance footage later leaked showing Combs assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway, prompting an apology from the mogul. Since then, multiple civil lawsuits have been filed against Combs, including one from Dawn Richard, formerly of the group Danity Kane, alleging groping, assault, imprisonment, and threats against her life.
Many of the lawsuits against Combs have been filed in New York City, where the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law allows victims to file claims of sexual abuse beyond the statute of limitations. Combs’ legal team, which now includes attorney Alexandra Shapiro, alongside Teny Geragos and Marc Agnifilo, has not yet commented on the allegations made by Buzbee and the accusers. Buzbee emphasized the severity of the accusations against Combs and stated that the events took place at parties hosted by Combs and during auditions for individuals seeking to enter the entertainment industry. This latest series of lawsuits adds to the mounting legal issues facing Combs, who has been entangled in various legal battles in recent years. The upcoming legal proceedings will shed light on the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that have been brought against the entertainment mogul.
