Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, is facing new allegations of sexual assault in two recently filed lawsuits. This comes after he reached a settlement last week with his ex-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura (also known as Cassie).
Joi Dickerson-Neal has accused Combs of attacking her in 1991, causing significant and lasting harm. She claims that she was drugged, sexually assaulted, and subjected to “revenge porn” by Sean Combs, also known as “P. Diddy”. A spokesperson for Combs has dismissed these allegations as false and motivated by monetary gain.
Dickerson-Neal, a college student who had previously appeared in a music video for Diddy, was invited to join him for dinner in New York. She attended the dinner reluctantly and claims that Diddy drugged her and then sexually assaulted her. She states that due to being drugged, she was unable to physically or mentally defend herself against Combs. She also alleges that Combs videotaped their sexual encounter and showed it to others, leading to her hospitalization for depression.
The legal team representing Dickerson-Neal stated that she came forward with her allegations after Ventura made hers. Ventura claimed that she had experienced numerous instances of assault over a ten-year period, describing it as a pattern of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking. Combs refuted the claims and the two parties reached a settlement outside of court the next day, which they both described as friendly.
According to a report from Rolling Stone, a new legal case has been initiated by an unidentified woman, referred to as Jane Doe, who has accused Combs and musician Aaron Hall of sexually assaulting her and a friend in either 1990 or 1991. The incident allegedly occurred after the women were invited back to Hall’s apartment following a music industry event. Doe claims that Combs coerced her into engaging in sexual activity, and then Hall entered the room, pinned her down, and forced her to have sex with him. The friend, who is not involved in the lawsuit, reportedly stated that she was also pressured into having sex with both Combs and Hall in a separate room.
According to the lawsuit, Doe claims that Combs went to the place where the two women were staying a few days after the incident and physically attacked her by choking her until she lost consciousness. The woman states that she then sought medical treatment in order to recover from the traumatic experience.
Combs and Hall have yet to reply to the lawsuit. The Guardian has reached out to representatives for both parties for a statement.
Two lawsuits have been initiated under the Adult Survivors Act in New York state. Typically, cases dating back to the early 1990s would have exceeded the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits, but the act – enacted in 2022 – established a one-year period during which these limitations were lifted.
The deadline for filing lawsuits is this Friday, and there have been multiple cases filed in the past few days, including against influential figures in the music world. Record executive and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine, known for founding Interscope and the popular Beats headphone brand, was accused by an unidentified woman of sexual misconduct and harassment. His legal team expressed surprise and confusion over the allegations. Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns N’ Roses, was accused of a physical sexual assault against model Sheila Kennedy in 1989. His lawyers dismissed the claims as untrue.
This week, there were multiple lawsuits filed against individuals not related to the music industry. These included New York City’s mayor Eric Adams, comedian Bill Cosby, actor Jamie Foxx, and fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
Source: theguardian.com
