Diddy hit with sexual misconduct lawsuits from 120 new accusers, including 25 minors
At the time of alleged offences spanning 33 years, accusers were aged between nine and 38
WARNING: This article includes accounts of sexual violence which may be distressing for some readers. Resources for support are listed at the end of this article.
Sean Combs, aka Diddy, is facing a wave of sexual misconduct lawsuits from 120 new accusers, a lawyer has said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, October 1, Texas attorney Tony Buzbee said that he is representing over 100 accusers who have alleged sexual misconduct against Combs.
Of the 120 accusers, 25 are said to have been minors at the time of alleged offences. Buzbee explained: "This type of sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation should never happen in the United States or anywhere else.”
Last month, Combs was arrested in New York City after being indicted by a federal grand jury. He was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper is currently awaiting trial.
Now, Combs is facing a new swathe of lawsuits from 60 men and 60 women who were aged between nine and 38 at the time of alleged offences, which are claimed to have taken place through a 33-year period from 1991 to 2024.
“We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors,” Buzbee said (via The Guardian). “We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates."
“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry, that really wasn’t a secret at all, has finally been revealed to the world. The wall of silence has now been broken.”
Combs has retained his innocence throughout. His lawyer, Erica Wolff, said in response to the new claims (via Rolling Stone) that Combs cannot address “every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus".
She added: "That said, Mr Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.”
Buzbee said that most cases will be filed in New York and Los Angeles, and claimed that over 3,000 people have come forward with accusations against Combs to date.
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[Via *The Guardian]*
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter