Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Faces 7 New Sexual Abuse Lawsuits as Flood of New Cases Begins

Seven new sexual abuse lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs were filed Monday (Oct. 14) in Manhattan federal court, the first in a wave of dozens of civil cases expected to be filed in the weeks ahead.

The cases — each filed by an anonymous Jane Doe or John Doe plaintiff — were all filed by Los Angeles attorney Andrew Van Arsdale and Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, who earlier this month said he is representing at least 120 such alleged victims.

“While his wealth has kept him above consequence for years, Combs now faces the awesome power of the American judicial system and ultimately a jury of his peers who will be asked to punish him for the deplorable conduct,” the lawyers wrote in matching language in each complaint.

Five of the cases on Monday were filed by men and two were filed by women. In one, a woman claims that Combs lured her into a bathroom at a 1995 promotional event for a Notorious B.I.G. music video, then violently raped her. “You better not tell anyone about this, or you will disappear,” he allegedly told her after the attack.

Another case was filed by a man who says he was sexually assaulted by Combs in 1998 when he was 16 years old and attending one of the rapper’s famed “white parties” in the Hamptons. The man claims that Combs forced him to remove his pants and demanded he allow him to “inspect” his genitals.

“Combs abruptly then let go of John Doe’s genitals and told him that his people would be in touch,” the lawyers write in that lawsuit. “Combs continued with his party as if nothing had happened, but for John Doe, everything had changed.”

Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But last month, he was indicted by federal prosecutors over accusations of sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. If convicted on all the charges, he potentially faces a sentence of life in prison.

In their indictment, prosecutors allege that Combs ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The charges detailed “freak offs” in which Combs and others would allegedly ply victims with drugs and then coerce them into having sex with male sex workers, as well as alleged acts of violence and intimidation to keep victims silent.

A trial is currently set for May 5.

In addition to the criminal cases, Combs has also faced a slew of civil lawsuits over the past year, including at least 12 filed prior to Monday’s new lawsuits.