Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing yet another sexual assault lawsuit, this time from a male photographer who alleges the music mogul coerced him into a sex act under the guise of career advancement. The suit, filed Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court, is the latest in a growing list of civil and criminal cases targeting the 55-year-old Bad Boy Records founder.
The anonymous plaintiff, referred to as John Doe, claims the incident took place during a high-profile commercial shoot in late 2022 or early 2023. According to the complaint, Doe, then working as a production photographer, was asked to retrieve Combs from his trailer between takes. Once inside, the lawsuit alleges, Combs made sexual advances and told Doe, "If you suck [it] right, I'll make your career take off."
Doe asserts that he complied with the request out of fear his career would be permanently harmed if he refused. "The implication was clear," the complaint states. "If [Doe] did not perform oral sex on Combs to his satisfaction, his career would be over."
The lawsuit, filed by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, includes graphic allegations, including a claim that Combs instructed the photographer to hold semen "in his mouth like a squirrel." When Doe refused, Combs allegedly became threatening. Doe says he was left traumatized and has suffered "immeasurable emotional and mental pain."
In a statement to media outlets, Combs' legal team, led by Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, denied the allegations. "No matter how many lawsuits are filed-especially by individuals who refuse to put their own names behind their claims-it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone-man or woman, adult or minor," the statement read. "Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail in court."
The rapper and producer remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been held since his arrest last September on federal charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He is scheduled to go on trial on May 12.
Buzbee, who has filed several lawsuits on behalf of plaintiffs accusing Combs of sexual misconduct, pushed back on recent speculation that he had withdrawn from Diddy-related litigation. "I have NOT withdrawn from all the Diddy cases. Period," he said in an Instagram post. "We filed suit for a professional photographer who alleges coercion and sexual assault against Sean 'P Diddy' Combs."
The lawsuit joins more than a dozen pending civil cases against Combs, several of which have been filed anonymously. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon ordered two anonymous plaintiffs-one Jane Doe and one John Doe-to file complaints under their real names by April 10 if they wish to proceed.
In another ruling this week, Judge J. Paul Oetken partially dismissed a $30 million lawsuit brought by producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones Jr., removing RICO and breach of contract claims but allowing sex trafficking allegations to proceed.
Despite mounting legal trouble, Combs has secured some recent procedural victories. A March 24 ruling cut several claims from the Lil Rod case, although others remain. On February 24, New York State Judge Paul A. Goetz denied anonymity to a different John Doe plaintiff on the grounds that the case is civil, not criminal.
