Sean “Diddy” Combs is accused in one of two lawsuits filed Monday of drugging and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in a New York hotel room in 2005.
The second lawsuit accuses the jailed hip-hop mogul of similarly assaulting a 17-year-old potential contestant on the reality television series. Being a Band in 2008.
The lawsuits filed in New York state Supreme Court are the latest in a wave of lawsuits in which accusers allege they were sexually assaulted by Combs at parties and gatherings over the past two decades.
Combs' lawyers on Monday denied the two new allegations and accused the plaintiffs' attorney, Anthony Buzbee, who also represents the accusers in previous lawsuits, of seeking publicity.
“Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and integrity of the judicial process,” read an emailed statement. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor.”
Combs, 54, is incarcerated in a New York prison after pleading not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges contained in an indictment unsealed the day after his Sept. 16 arrest. The charges include allegations that he coerced and abused women and silenced victims through blackmail and violence.
The 10-year-old boy who was not identified in the lawsuit was an aspiring actor and rapper who had traveled with his parents from California to meet with music industry representatives. During what was supposed to be an audition for Combs, he was given a drugged drink by an associate of Combs and was sexually assaulted by the founder of Bad Boy Records, according to the indictment.
The boy eventually lost consciousness. When he awoke, Combs threatened to seriously harm the child's parents if he told anyone what had happened, the document says.
In a second lawsuit, an unidentified 17-year-old male said Combs forced him to engage in sexual acts with Combs and a bodyguard during a three-day hearing for the Being a Band television program, produced by Combs.
When the would-be contestant expressed reservations, he was eliminated from the competition and failed to return to the music industry for seven years, according to the document.
Both lawsuits were filed under New York City's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which allows survivors to sue even if the statute of limitations has expired.