More than 100 people are preparing to file lawsuits against hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, accusing him of sexual assault, rape, and exploitation, according to US lawyer Tony Buzbee.
Some of the alleged victims were reportedly as young as nine years old at the time of the abuse, Buzbee revealed during a press conference.
“This is an important matter that we intend to aggressively pursue,” Buzbee said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Diddy’s legal team has responded to the accusations, with lawyer Erica Wolff firmly denying the claims. Combs “emphatically and categorically” denies the allegations,” Wolff said, describing them as “false and defamatory.”
At the press conference, Buzbee made it clear that the legal pursuit would be far-reaching. “[We] will leave no stone unturned to find potentially liable parties,” he said, adding that any individual or entity involved in or benefiting from the alleged misconduct would be held accountable.
In a statement to the BBC, Wolff reiterated Diddy’s stance, saying, Combs “looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
This latest development adds to the growing list of legal challenges faced by Combs. Just last week, he was arrested and charged with racketeering and sex trafficking. Currently held in federal custody after being denied bail, Combs is appealing the decision. He has consistently denied all criminal charges.
Buzbee, who is licensed in both Texas and New York, revealed that he represents 120 alleged victims, split evenly between men and women. These individuals come from more than 25 US states, with 25 of them being minors at the time of the alleged incidents. This marks the first instance where Diddy has been accused of child sexual abuse.
The accusations span several decades, from 1991 up to this year, with incidents reportedly taking place in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. According to Buzbee, most of the alleged assaults occurred after 2015, often at parties hosted by Combs at well-known venues, private residences, or hotels.
Buzbee detailed that many of these gatherings, which included album release parties and New Year’s Eve celebrations, were also attended by young aspiring artists. He suggested that many victims were coerced into compromising situations with promises of stardom or access to Combs’ influential network.
“Many times, especially young people wanting to break into the industry, were coerced into this type of conduct in the promise of being made a star or the promise of having Sean Combs listen to their tape,” Buzbee explained.
One particularly disturbing allegation involves a man who, at nine years old, was allegedly sexually abused by Combs and his associates in a New York recording studio while trying to secure a record deal. In a statement through his lawyer, the man expressed his regret, saying, “Had he not been in power, I feel I could’ve been something great. I quit the industry because of what Sean Combs did to me.”
Another case involves a young man who alleges he was promised a future in the music industry by Combs but was first asked to meet the rapper alone, without his parents. Once they were alone, Combs allegedly demanded the boy perform oral sex on him.
Buzbee also recounted the experience of a 15-year-old girl, who claims she was flown to New York for one of Combs’ parties, only to be raped by him and several others. He alleged that there was a consistent pattern in these cases, where victims were offered drinks that had been spiked before the assaults occurred.
“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry has finally been revealed to the world,” Buzbee said. “The wall of silence has now been broken.”
Buzbee emphasised that the legal action is not a class action lawsuit; instead, individual cases will be filed for each of the alleged victims.
Andrew Van Arsdale, another lawyer working alongside Buzbee, mentioned that his firm had received over 3,000 calls from individuals alleging abuse by Combs. In addition to the 120 cases already in progress, they are currently vetting another 100 potential claims.
With the magnitude of these allegations, this case marks one of the most significant legal battles in the entertainment industry in recent history.
