In a recent legal move, Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that he and two co-defendants raped a 17-year-old girl in a New York recording studio in 2003. The lawsuit, filed in December and amended in March, was brought by a woman who now resides in Canada. She claims she was flown to New York on a private jet by Harve Pierre, then the president of Combs’ record label, given drugs and alcohol, and taken to a recording studio where she was allegedly raped by Pierre, Combs, and another man. Combs and his legal team strongly deny these allegations, stating that they are false and baseless.
The defense filing by Combs seeks to have the case dismissed with prejudice to prevent further reputational damage and to conserve party and judicial resources. The plaintiff’s attorney, Michael J. Willemin, responded by calling Combs’ motion a desperate attempt to avoid accountability for the alleged gang rape. The arguments currently revolve around procedural matters rather than the facts of the case, with Combs asserting that the lawsuit was filed too late under New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law.
The legal challenges surrounding the lawsuit highlight the complexity and sensitivity of the allegations against Combs. Some of the lawsuits stem from decades-old incidents and fall under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifted certain legal deadlines for sexual assault victims to file claims. While those deadlines have passed, the suit in question was brought under a different law, New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, allowing accusers to file complaints after the statute of limitations has expired.
The public airing of allegations against Combs began with a lawsuit by singer Cassie, his former protege and girlfriend, involving allegations of abuse between 2005 and 2018. The case was settled shortly after being filed, with Combs denying the allegations. Subsequent lawsuits followed, culminating in a sex-trafficking investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations at Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami. The investigation is ongoing, and Combs has not been charged. In another case, Combs filed a motion to dismiss a suit by Joi Dickerson, who accused him of drugging and assaulting her when she was a college student.
