NEW YORK CITY, New York – Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is fighting back against a lawsuit accusing him and two others of raping a 17-year-old girl in a New York recording studio in 2003. Combs filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, calling the allegations a “false and hideous claim” and arguing that the lawsuit was filed too late under the law.
Combs and his legal team are pushing back against several similar lawsuits and a sex-trafficking investigation. They deny the allegations made by the woman, who now lives in Canada, claiming that the accusations have damaged their reputations and business standing without any evidence being presented.
The woman, who was a high school student in 2003, alleges that she was flown to New York on a private jet by then-president of Combs’ record label, Harve Pierre, and was given drugs and alcohol until she was unable to consent to sexual activity. The lawsuit claims that Pierre, Combs, and another man took turns raping her. Photographs of the woman on Combs’ lap on the night in question were included in the lawsuit.
Legal proceedings are currently focused on procedural matters rather than the facts of the case. Some of the lawsuits against Combs fall under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows victims of sexual abuse a last opportunity to sue for past abuse. However, Combs argues that the suit in question was filed too late under New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law.
Combs’ defense maintains that city law is preempted by state law, and the lawsuit needed to be filed by August 2021 to be considered timely. The judge has ruled that the woman will need to disclose her name if the lawsuit proceeds after this challenge. Several lawsuits have been filed against Combs in recent months, with ongoing investigations into the allegations.
The public scrutiny of Combs began with a lawsuit by singer Cassie, his former protege and girlfriend, alleging abuse from 2005 to 2018. While the case was settled, more lawsuits have followed, leading to Homeland Security Investigations serving search warrants on Combs’ properties in a sex-trafficking investigation. Combs has not been charged in connection with any of the allegations.