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Oct 22, 2024

Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of raping 13-year-old in new lawsuit

The assault is alleged to have taken place at a VMAs afterparty in 2000. The music mogul denies the accusation. Christian Holub is a writer covering comics and other geeky pop culture. He's still mad

The assault is alleged to have taken place at a VMAs afterparty in 2000. The music mogul denies the accusation.

Christian Holub is a writer covering comics and other geeky pop culture. He's still mad about 'Firefly' getting canceled.

Another unsettling allegation has been brought against Sean "Diddy" Combs. In a new lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday, the hip-hop mogul is accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in 2000. The lawsuit alleges that Combs committed this crime alongside two other celebrities, but does not provide the names of those people. Through his attorneys, Combs denies all the criminal accusations.

According to the lawsuit, brought by attorney Anthony Buzbee on behalf of a now-37-year-old Jane Doe, the plaintiff was dropped off by a friend at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 7, 2000 and tried to talk her way into the VMAs. One limo driver said she "fit what Diddy was looking for" and invited her to Combs' afterparty. There, she allegedly drank something that made her feel "woozy and lightheaded, making her need to lie down" — likely because the drink had been mixed with the date rape drug rohypnol, or GHB, as the lawsuit alleges was standard practice at Combs' now-infamous parties.

After the plaintiff found what she thought was an empty bedroom to rest, she was allegedly followed by Combs and two other unnamed celebrities (one male and one female). The lawsuit claims the anonymous male celebrity vaginally raped the 13-year-old girl while Combs and the female celebrity watched; then, Combs allegedly raped her while the other two watched. When Combs then allegedly tried to force the girl to perform oral sex, "she resisted by hitting Combs in the neck; he stopped." The plaintiff then fled the premises and made her way to a nearby gas station where she called her father to pick her up, but "after the assault, Plaintiff fell into a deep depression which continues to affect every facet of her life," according to the lawsuit.

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When reached for comment by Entertainment Weekly, Combs' legal team thoroughly denied the accusations.

“The press conference and 1-800 number that preceded today’s barrage of filings were clear attempts to garner publicity," Combs' attorneys said in a collective statement. "Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman.”

Combs' legal team (led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos from the law firm Agnifilo Intrater) also filed a request to Judge Arun Subramanian for "an order requiring all potential witnesses and their counsel to refrain from making extrajudicial statements that have a substantial likelihood to interfere with Mr. Combs’s trial."

Combs' legal woes began last November, when ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and years of physical abuse. The suit was subsequently settled, but other, similar lawsuits followed. More than 120 people have since accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. Combs has denied all the allegations.

In March, Combs' properties in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal authorities. He was arrested in Manhattan in September, after being indicted by a grand jury on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has plead not guilty to all charges, but remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, having been denied bail by multiple judges.