Sean "Diddy" Combs, the embattled music mogul and entrepreneur, is facing a fresh wave of legal troubles as three anonymous men filed lawsuits in New York on Thursday, accusing him of drugging and raping them at upscale locations in Manhattan and the Hamptons. The allegations add to an already mounting list of legal battles, further tarnishing the reputation of the once-revered entertainment figure.
The lawsuits, spanning incidents from 2019 to 2022, were filed by attorney Thomas Giuffra, who represents the three accusers. Each man alleges a disturbing pattern: they were invited to parties hosted by Combs, served spiked alcoholic beverages that caused them to lose consciousness, and woke up to find themselves being sexually assaulted by the music icon.
"The assaults occurred because Sean Combs is a rich, powerful public figure who was able to take advantage by drugging these men," Giuffra said, according to The NY Post. He described the lawsuits as a "long overdue opportunity for the victims to take the power back."
One of the accusers, a former employee of Combs' Bad Boy Records, alleges he was assaulted in February 2020 at the InterContinental New York Times Square hotel. The man claims that upon trying to resist, Combs told him to "stop" and reassured him he was "almost done," according to court documents. The suit further alleges that Combs warned the victim he would "look like an idiot" if he reported the assault to authorities.
Another accuser claims he was raped during an exclusive afterparty in 2019 at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan. According to his account, he briefly regained consciousness during the attack and saw a man and woman recording the incident. The victim alleges that after the assault, he was handed $2,500 by an unidentified individual who claimed the money was from Combs.
The third lawsuit details an incident at Combs' Hamptons estate in the summer of 2020. The accuser, a Florida man, says he was flown to New York for a party where he became ill and lost consciousness after drinking. The lawsuit alleges that Combs and several associates from Bad Boy Records took turns raping him. The man claims he woke up the following morning in severe pain, surrounded by Combs' associates.
In all three cases, the plaintiffs chose to remain anonymous, citing fears of retaliation. Giuffra stated that his clients were threatened and intimidated by Combs in the past, deterring them from coming forward sooner. "They want to scare people into silence. They're just trying to intimidate people," Giuffra added.
Combs' legal team has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them "full of lies." In a statement, his attorneys said, "We will prove them false and seek sanctions against every unethical lawyer who filed fictional claims against him."
The lawsuits are the latest in a series of legal and criminal issues facing Combs. The music mogul is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and other crimes. His trial is scheduled for May 2025, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
