Two new lawsuits have been filed against rapper and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs, accusing him of sexual assault. In one of the lawsuits, a 17-year-old teenager stated that Combs forced him to participate in sexual acts with him and a bodyguard during an audition for the show "Making the Band." According to the complaint, when the teenager expressed his refusal, he was eliminated from the competition and excluded from the music industry for seven years.
In the second lawsuit, a 10-year-old boy, whose identity is not revealed, claims that in 2005 Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him in a hotel room in New York City. The minor, who traveled from California with his parents to meet with representatives of the music industry, was allegedly a victim of these events. The lawsuits have been filed under New York City's Gender Violence Victims Protection Law, which allows for accusations even after the crimes have expired.
Combs' lawyers have refuted the accusations, stating that the rapper has never sexually assaulted anyone, nor has he participated in sex trafficking. Nonetheless, Combs is incarcerated in a New York prison after pleading not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges, which were dismissed a day after his arrest in September. The charges include allegations of coercion, abuse of women, extortion, and acts of violence to silence the alleged victims.
These latest lawsuits add to a series of 18 previous lawsuits in which Combs is accused of sexual assault at parties and gatherings over the past two decades. Combs' lawyers have expressed confidence in the facts and in the integrity of the judicial process, asserting that the allegations seek to gain publicity by attorney Anthony Buzbee, who represents several of the complainants.
