Samantha Granville
BBC News, Los Angeles
Imprisoned rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is expected to face more than 10 new civil lawsuits in the coming days, according to a lawyer who represents dozens of accusers.
The announcement from Tony Buzbee came as he filed another legal case in New York on behalf of an unnamed male, who claims he was assaulted by the music mogul in 2015.
The lawsuit states the accuser, a 23-year-old man, was performing at an event that Combs attended, and then was drugged at an afterparty and assaulted.
Attorneys for the Combs denied the allegations against him – which has included drugging, assaulting and raping people. He’s also facing federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
“Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process,” the attorneys said in a statement to the BBC about this case. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.”
Mr Buzbee, who is based out of Texas, has played a key role in numerous cases against Combs over the past year, including one that also named Jay-Z as a defendant (Jay Z has denied these allegations and asked the court to dismiss the case).
Mr Buzbee said he plans to file more than 10 lawsuits in the next seven to 10 days, as a deadline approaches on 1 March in New York – the last day of a law that allows victims of past sexual assault to file civil lawsuits, despite an expired statute of limitations.
The new lawsuit stems back to 2015 when the plaintiff secured an opportunity to perform at a nightclub in the Los Angeles area, where Combs was in attendance.
Combs’ associate informed the accuser that the rapper had heard of his talent and would be watching, the lawsuit states. He was told that if he performed well, Combs might be interested in discussing a deal with Bad Boy Records – a successful record label the rapper founded in 1993.
BBC Sounds: Get the latest updates on the Diddy allegations in the weekly podcast, Diddy On Trial’He thought of himself as a king’: The parties that led to Diddy’s downfallAfter what the plaintiff believed to be an “excellent performance”, he was invited to attend an afterparty, where the VIP section contained “countless bottles of Combs’ vodka, Ciroc,” as well as “substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy”, the lawsuit states.
An associate of the music mogul handed the accuser a drink, saying it was from Combs. After drinking it, the plaintiff “quickly felt lightheaded” and realised he had been “drugged”, the lawsuit states. He then lost consciousness.
The lawsuit states that while he drifted in and out, he observed Combs and his entourage allegedly engaging in “group sexual activity” with attendees who appeared “either drugged, unconscious, or as if they were paid escorts.”
He said he woke up to being assaulted by Combs, the lawsuit states. When he tried to leave, Combs’ security intervened and the rapper threatened to derail his career chances, the lawsuit alleges.
Combs is currently facing more than 30 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct. He’s currently in a New York jail awaiting a federal criminal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering.
