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P Diddy Lawsuits | Shedding Light On Abuse Allegations 

Oct 24, 2024
Last updated Oct 28, 2024
Main > Our Blog > P Diddy Lawsuits | Shedding Light On Abuse Allegations

Learn about the P Diddy lawsuits, including the full timeline of events. Edwards Henderson can help you seek justice for sexual abuse.

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Sean Combs (known professionally as P Diddy, and formally, as Puff Daddy) is a rapper, songwriter, music producer, and record executive with a nearly 35-year career. He has worked with and represented some of the most recognizable names in the rap and R&B scene including Biggie Smalls, Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Jay-Z.

P Diddy has been professionally active since 1990 and is considered a pop cultural icon. The amount of fame, power, and money that he has achieved over the last several decades cannot be understated. At the same time, since at least 2023, there have been over 120 allegations that he leveraged this power and fame to sexually abuse, traffic, and torture numerous people. In September 2024, P Diddy was arrested and officially criminally charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. His trial date is set for May 5th, 2025.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual abuse, like the allegations against Sean Combs, or any person in a position of power, our law firm can help. At Edwards Henderson, we specialize in representing survivors of sexual abuse and can provide the legal support you need to move forward with your life.

Key Takeaways

  • The recent allegations made against P Diddy have risen to over 120 individual lawsuits.
  • P Diddy was arrested and now faces both criminal and civil lawsuits for sex crimes, including sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
  • There are resources available to survivors of sexual abuse to seek compensation for the crimes committed against them.

What Is P Diddy Known For? 

Even if you’re not a fan of hip-hop or R&B, it’s likely you’ve heard a song written or produced by Sean Combs. He has produced well-known artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Machine Gun Kelly, French Montana, Faith Evans, and Pitbull. He has also made several appearances in movies and TV shows. His success has garnered him a 600-million-dollar net worth.

Since the first of the allegations against P Diddy became public, a number of disturbing details surrounding his alleged crimes have unfolded rapidly. Due to his status as a pop culture icon, the news of his arrest came with an expected level of shock, denial, and disgust. 

What Are the Allegations Against P Diddy? 

While there has been at least one sexual harassment civil lawsuit against P Diddy prior to 2023, most allegations have emerged within the last year. These allegations stem from various settings and circumstances, with many linked to his “freak-off” events — multi-day, drug-fueled, sexually explicit parties that he has hosted for over two decades. Over the years, various high-profile celebrities have been linked to P Diddy’s freak-off parties, both as accusers and defendants. The first notable case involved singer Cassie Ventura, who was discovered by P Diddy and had an on-and-off relationship with him for over a decade, beginning in 2007 when she was 19 and he was 37. 

In November 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit that was settled by both parties the very next day for an undisclosed sum. The following May, a video surfaced showing P Diddy violently attacking Ventura in the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles, which supported some of the allegations she made in her lawsuit. Among the claims against P Diddy were serious accusations of rape and sex trafficking

The combined effect of both the suit and the video was astronomical. Almost immediately following Ventura’s suit, several others filed civil suits against P Diddy, including several celebrities and members of the music industry, including:

  • Liza Gardner: A few days after Ventura’s suit was settled, Liza Gardener filed a suit which alleged that she and a friend were gang-raped by P Diddy and singer Aaron Hall when she was 16 years old.
  • Joi Dickerson-Neal: In November 23,2023, Joi Dickerson-Neal, an assistant and a location scout working in the music industry filed a suit alleging that P Diddy drugged and raped her, filmed the incident, and shared the video with associates.
  • Jane Doe: A Jane Doe filed a suit against P Diddy in December 6, 2023 alleging that she was trafficked from Michigan as a teenager and gang raped by P Diddy and a Bad Boy Records executive.
  • Rodney “‘Lil Rod” Jones: On February 26, 2024, producer Rodney Jones filed a suit claiming that P Diddy sexually assaulted him for over a year in 2022–2023.

What he’s describing is the sex-trafficking of minors,” Edwards Henderson partner Brad Edwards said to Miami Herald, noting Jones could be a witness for federal investigators. “Somebody had to take notice of that. I’m assuming federal investigators are chasing that.”

  • Crystal McKinne: A former Model filed a suit on May 21, 2024 alleging that Diddy assaulted her in 2003 at his recording studio in New York City when she was 22-years old. 

These are to just name a few.

As the number of lawsuits continues to mount into the hundreds, several connections have been made between the individual incidents, and new information is being released regularly.

How Has P Diddy Responded To These Allegations?

For the most part, P Diddy has been mostly quiet about the allegations made against him. As of now, he has given two very different responses. The first statement he made was in response to the recently surfaced video of him assaulting Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel; P Diddy released an apology video on his social media accounts saying, “My behavior on the video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video”. Regarding the subsequent lawsuits, P Diddy has denied all allegations against him.

How Did P Diddy Allegedly Silence Survivors?

One common thread that connects many of the P Diddy allegations is that he used hush money as a way to silence survivors. In Cassie Ventura’s case, for example, the hotel staff (who stepped in to stop the assault) were allegedly offered hush money so that they would not release the security footage to the public. There have also been numerous allegations claiming that P Diddy perpetrated these assaults with the help of his paid staff who recruited, paid off, and intimidated victims, and in some cases even carried out the assaults themselves.

What Is Sexual Coercion?

Two frequent aspects of the P Diddy allegations are the use of date rape drugs and sexual coercion. Sexual coercion is used to describe an act where a person pressures someone into a sexual act through emotional manipulation, threats, or exploitation of power dynamics. Date rape drugs like Rohypnol, GHB, or ketamine can also be used as a tool of sexual coercion and can significantly impair a person’s ability to resist or refuse, causing confusion, memory loss, and unconsciousness, which strips away their capacity to give informed consent

What Is a Civil Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?

A civil sexual abuse case is when a survivor seeks compensation for damages like medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress, or pain and suffering. The purpose of a civil lawsuit is to hold the abuser or enabling institutions accountable for the crime. Unlike criminal cases, which are pursued by the state to punish offenders, civil cases focus on victim compensation and have a lower standard of proof, showing that the abuse more likely than not had occurred. In contrast, criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt and usually result in imprisonment or fines if the defendant is found guilty. Both civil and criminal cases can be pursued together or separately, depending on the situation.

Prior to P Diddy’s arrest, there had only been civil sexual abuse lawsuits brought against him. However, following the arrest, P Diddy now faces several criminal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering.

Why Are Sexual Abuse Cases Difficult to Prove?

Unfortunately, sexual abuse cases are often difficult to prove in court. Here are a few common reasons why survivors of sexual abuse may hesitate to come forward:

  • Lack of physical evidence in many cases: Sexual abuse cases often lack physical evidence, especially if the incident occurred long ago or did not result in visible injuries. Without forensic proof, cases largely rely on personal testimonies, making it harder to substantiate claims.
  • Reliance on witness testimony: Since physical evidence may be minimal or nonexistent, sexual abuse cases depend heavily on the survivor’s testimony. If no other witnesses are available, this can turn the case into a contest of credibility between the survivor and the accused.
  • Memory gaps from trauma, especially if it happened a long time ago: Trauma can affect a survivor’s memory, leading to fragmented or incomplete recollections. Over time, details may fade or become repressed, weakening the case by making the testimony seem inconsistent.
  • Societal stigmas and victim-blaming: Survivors of sexual abuse often face societal judgment and victim-blaming, which can discourage them from reporting the abuse or impact how their testimony is perceived in court.
  • Impact of state-specific statutes of limitations: Many states have time limits on when sexual abuse cases can be filed. If the statute of limitations expires, survivors may be unable to seek justice, even if they are ready to come forward later in life.

Florida in particular can be a challenging state to successfully file a sexual abuse lawsuit in because of the state statute of limitations. Florida requires that survivors of rape report the incident to authorities within a 72-hour window. Otherwise, the statute of limitations can be as short as three years. This has been seen in other high-profile rape and sex trafficking lawsuits such as Jeffrey Epstein’s case.

How Can a Sexual Abuse Lawyer at Edwards Henderson Help Me?

While the odds are sometimes stacked against survivors of sexual abuse pursuing justice and accountability, it does not mean that there is no hope at all. If you have suffered rapesexual assaultsexual abuse, or any form of sexual violence at the hands of another individual or group, our compassionate and experienced sexual abuse lawyers can help. We will navigate the complexities of the legal system by gathering and analyzing evidence and identifying liable parties. We will help you seek justice and compensation for the crimes committed against you so you can have the resources you need to heal.

Do You Have Information About P Diddy’s Sexual Abuse Allegations? Contact Us Today

As mentioned, there have been over 120 individual lawsuits filed against P Diddy for crimes ranging from racketeering and physical violence to rape, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. Keep in mind that this number represents lawsuits that have been filed only within the last year, and it is expected that there are far more in the process of being filed. If you have had a crime committed against you by P Diddy (or anyone else), have information concerning his criminal charges, or one of the 120+ lawsuits filed against him, Edwards Henderson wants to hear from you.

Our law firm exclusively represents sex crime survivors in some of the largest and most egregious cases of sexual abuse and trafficking. We represented more than 200 of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims and settled sex trafficking cases against both JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. We are currently representing the entire class of survivors in sex trafficking claims against Abercrombie and Fitch and have acquired a reputation as the go-to law firm in this area. Call us today to schedule a consultation.

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