A fifth woman has come forward to accuse Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual misconduct, filing a lawsuit in New York on Tuesday claiming the rapper drugged her before sexually assaulting her and sending her home in a cab—the latest controversy involving the rapper who has faced a search of his home by federal agents and multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse, all of which he has denied.
Combs has denied wrongdoing across all of the lawsuits and not been criminally charged. (Photo by ... [+]
Former model Crystal McKinney filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday accusing the rapper of drugging and sexually assaulting her at his New York recording studio in 2003.
The lawsuit makes McKinney the fifth woman to make accusations against Combs, starting in November, when Combs was sued by his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura—known professionally as “Cassie”—who alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to a years-long abusive relationship that included physical abuse and his assertion of “complete control” over her personal and professional life.
Ventura’s $30 million lawsuit against Combs was settled the day after it was filed for an undisclosed amount, with Ventura telling CNN she had chosen to “resolve this matter amicably,” while Combs’ attorney said the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing” and didn’t change his denial of the allegations.
A video that appeared to show Combs physically beating Ventura in 2016—backing up Ventura’s claims—was obtained by CNN last week, and Combs later apologized.
Later in November, a woman named Joie Dickerson-Neal alleged in a lawsuit Combs drugged her, sexually assaulted her and secretly recorded the assault while she was a college student in 1991.
Separately that same month, an anonymous plaintiff accused Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall of raping her and a friend in 1990 or 1991 after meeting at an MCA Records event in New York—a suit that, like the Dickerson-Neal complaint, was filed shortly before the expiration of a New York law temporarily allowing lawsuits for older assault allegations that would ordinarily be past the statute of limitations.
Combs was hit with another sexual assault suit in December, accusing the rapper of drugging and participating in a gang rape of the unnamed woman in 2003, when the accuser was 17 years old.
Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones sued the rapper in New York in February and alleged he was “subjected to unwanted advances by associates of Diddy at his direction” and was forced to engage in relations with sex workers he hired.
In a set of widely covered allegations, Jones said in the lawsuit that Combs regularly hosted “sex-trafficking parties” with underage women and illegal drugs, and implies record label executives who looked the other way financially benefited from access to celebrities and dignitaries like the British royal Prince Harry, who is not accused of any wrongdoing or of attending parties himself (Combs’ attorney told the Los Angeles Times the suit includes “reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction.”)
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Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal Homeland Security Investigations agents in March as part of an investigation the agency did not elaborate on, though NBC News and the Associated Press reported the searches stem from a sex trafficking probe. Combs has not been charged or accused by federal prosecutors of a crime, and the purpose of the search remains unclear.
Combs, 54, has denied all of the allegations against him, with his attorneys characterizing some of the lawsuits and their accusations to Forbes as money grabs, “baseless” or “sickening.” Combs has not been criminally charged.
An upcoming docuseries. Producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson said Tuesday that Netflix had won a “bidding war” for a docuseries about the string of recent abuse, rape and sex trafficking allegations against Combs. Jackson confirmed in a tweet Tuesday that the streamer bought the G-Unit Film & Television series about Combs he first started teasing in December, adding that, “if more victims keep coming out, I’m gonna need more episodes.” Proceeds from the film go to victims of sexual assault, Jackson said in November.
On Sunday, Combs posted to Instagram to apologize for his “disgusting” behavior in the surveillance video that showed him grabbing, dragging and kicking Cassie in 2016. The video seemed to back up much of the claims Ventura made in her November lawsuit, which an attorney for Combs called “offensive and outrageous” at the time. Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office called the video “extremely disturbing” and “difficult to watch” but said no charges would be filed because the apparent assault took place beyond the statue of limitation in California. In his apology video, Combs said the events occurred in "one of the darkest times” of his life and said he was “truly sorry” for his behavior. Meredith Firetog, one of Ventura's lawyers, later slammed the apology as disingenuous in a statement and said it was “more about himself than the many people he has hurt.” In Ventura’s November lawsuit, she accused Combs of paying the hotel in which the surveillance video was captured $50,000 for the footage.
Combs’ former personal chef, Cindy Rueda, accused Combs in a since-settled 2017 sexual harassment lawsuit of having her prepare and serve food to the rapper and his guests while they were engaged in sexual activity or right after they had done so.
The allegations contained in lawsuits against Combs date as far back as the 1990s, when he founded his own record label, Bad Boy Records, which Rolling Stone has called “one of the most influential hip-hop labels of all time.” The label has signed major artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Janelle Monáe and Cassie, and has put out several of Combs' own albums, including "Press Play" and "Last Train To Paris.” Combs sold a 50% stake in Bad Boy to Warner Music Group in a reported $30 million deal in 2005. Combs has built a fortune through Bad Boy Records, several liquor brands, a fashion label and other ventures. He sold his share in the DeLeón tequila brand for $200 million earlier this year. He was ranked No. 14 on Forbes' list of the highest-paid entertainers in 2022, making an estimated $90 million that year. One of the rapper’s raided homes is located in Holmby Hills, an affluent neighborhood where Combs purchased a home for $40 million ten years ago.
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