More than 100 individuals have filed a lawsuit against rap musician Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, alleging sexual assault, rape, and sexual exploitation, according to Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee.
Some of the alleged victims are as young as nine years old. “This is an important matter that we intend to aggressively pursue,” Buzbee stated at a news conference.
This lawsuit marks the first instance where Combs has been accused of sexually abusing minors.
Buzbee emphasized that his legal team would “leave no stone unturned to find potentially liable parties” involved in the alleged abuses, as well as “any individual or entity who participated in or benefited from this egregious behaviour.”
This legal action is the latest in a series of allegations against Combs. Last week, he was arrested on criminal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking and is currently in federal custody after being denied bail, a decision his lawyer is appealing.
Combs continues to deny all allegations of criminal wrongdoing, and the BBC has reached out to his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, for comments on the new civil lawsuit.
Buzbee revealed that he is representing a total of 120 alleged victims, with an equal split between men and women. Among these, 25 are minors.
The allegations range from incidents occurring in 1991 to as recently as this year, with locations including Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. Most incidents reportedly took place after 2015.
Many of the plaintiffs claim they were date-raped at parties hosted by Combs, which were held at various notable venues, private residences, and hotels.
These events included celebrations for album releases, New Year’s Eve parties, and Independence Day gatherings.
Others allegedly took place during auditions where victims were attempting to enter the entertainment industry.
Buzbee clarified that this lawsuit is not a class action; instead, individual cases will be filed for each alleged victim.
Source-BBC
