As Sean “Diddy” Combs became a definitive figure in hip hop – as his career spanned from music to fashion to alcohol and more, rising to the top of these industries – reports over the past year have made it clear that rumors about his conduct behind closed doors persisted for years. The first crack in the dam came in November, when allegations in a legal complaint by his ex-girlfriend, “Me & U” singer Cassie, opened the door to what are now 10 legal complaints against the mogul. On September 17, he was arrested in Manhattan on charges that included sex trafficking, forced labor, coercion to engage in prostitution and distribution of narcotics.
Combs entered a not guilty plea to these charges, and in a statement after his arrest, his attorney Marc Agnifilo said the U.S. Attorney's Office is pursuing an “unjust prosecution,” adding that Combs has collaborated in the investigations.
“Sean 'Diddy' Combs is a music icon, a self-made entrepreneur, a loving family man and a proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, doting on his children and working to uplift the black community,” Agnifilo, a former federal and state prosecutor, said. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
Here's a look at allegations that have surfaced over the past 10 months involving Combs.
November 16, 2023: Cassandra Ventura, also known as singer Cassie, has filed a legal complaint alleging years of sexual abuse, harassment and rape during the relationship she had with Combs and remained in for years. Cassie also claimed in the lawsuit that Combs had threatened to blow up Kid Cudi's car; later, the rapper's car exploded and Cudi confirmed the version of events stated in his lawsuit. His case was dismissed under New York's Adult Survivors Act and just one day after being dismissed, the suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Cassie
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November 23, 2023: A week later, undercover before the deadline for filing under the Adult Survivors Act, Combs was hit with two more lawsuits. Joi Dickerson-Neal accused him of misconduct in the 1990s after the two went on a date when she was 19. The case alleges that Combs drugged and raped the teenager while he filmed the attack, while another anonymous lawsuit alleges that Combs is charged along with singer Aaron Sala in which he sexually assaulted a woman and then beat her days later.
December 6, 2023: Combs is accused of involvement in a 2003 gang rape in which he allegedly drugged the accuser, who was 17 at the time; two other men were charged in the alleged assault, which the alleged victim said occurred in a recording studio in 2003. The backlash against Combs after this accusation is palpable, and he steps down as president of Revolt TV; several brands also decide to cut ties with his business. Combs takes to Instagram and denies all allegations in the lawsuits he was now drowning in: “I haven't done any of the horrible things that are being alleged,” he wrote. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
February 26, 2024: The infamous Lil' Rod lawsuit falls, accusing Combs of sexual assault and forcing the up-and-coming producer to engage with prostitutes, ingest drugs and engage in various crude activities. The complaint details elements of Rodney “Lil' Rod” Jones' 14-month odyssey living and working with Combs; in the complaint, the 38-year-old claims he was sexually assaulted, allegedly forced by Combs to perform sexual acts, forced to solicit prostitutes, drugged, humiliated and repeatedly groped — and in what his lawyers say is the real motivation behind After the lawsuit, Jones claims he was mocked by Diddy for his work on the mogul's 2023 album. Combs' legal team complains about all the details of the lawsuit, calling them “pure fiction” and denying that Jones completed the work he claims to have produced for the 2023 Grammy-nominated film. The Love Album: Off the Grid.
March 25, 2024: The Combs case intensifies, with massive attention on his business after authorities raided his properties in New York, Los Angeles and Miami as part of a broad investigation into sex trafficking allegations. The fact that all of this occurred while the lawsuit against Lil Rod was raising eyebrows over the mogul's behavior didn't do Combs any favors and he was soon the subject of daily gossip and conspiracy theories across the web. Combs' then-attorney, Aaron Dyer, called the raids a “military-level gross excessive use of force” and said the “unprecedented ambush [was] combined with an advanced and coordinated media presence”.
April 4, 2024: A lawsuit implicated Christian Combs, the rap mogul's son, in a sexual assault allegedly involving a staff member on a yacht that was chartered by the beleaguered rapper. In the lawsuit, Combs is accused of facilitating the environment that enabled the assault.
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April 26, 2024: At this point, Combs' legal team goes on the offensive when it files motions to dismiss key elements of the lawsuits. Their argument? Some of the reports, such as those related to revenge porn and human trafficking, were not illegal in 1991, when they allegedly occurred. This refers specifically to Dickerson's lawsuit, which involved the release of footage of the alleged rape. In the document they also denounce the “numerous false, offensive and salacious accusations” made.
May 10, 2024: Combs' legal team again rejects claims against their client, this time arguing that the Detroit woman's lawsuit accusing Combs of raping her and two others at a studio in 2003 was filed too late and that the charges on the alleged Combs' behavior is “disingenuous and horrendous.”
May 17, 2024: Combs' reputation took a hit after CNN obtained video of the mogul wearing a robe and walking into a hotel hallway where he then brutally assaulted his former romantic partner, Cassie, in 2016. The shocking video was spread through the media and leads Combs to issue a public apology. “My behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he said in a video statement posted to his Instagram page.
9-10 June 2024: Howard University revokes honorary degree awarded to Combs; the rapper returns a key to New York City at the request of Mayor Eric Adams.
June 10, 2024: Combs' longtime rival in the rap game, Suge Knight, who ran Death Row Records on the West Coast while Diddy was at the helm of Bad Boy, has dropped a theory from prison that the mogul is working with the FBI as informant. This is why, Knight claimed, Combs was able to act as he did with impunity. “It shouldn't be a gray area when it comes to doing something right, doing something positive or doing something for the community,” Knight said in an episode of his Pick up the call with Suge Knight podcasts. “That said, of course, Puffy has been an FBI informant forever, as they would say. That's why it's different when it comes to him.”
August 26, 2024: Combs' lawyers file a motion to dismiss Lil Rod's explosive case, saying his allegations were exaggerated and some even made up. They accused Jones of aiming only to exploit his fame to attract media attention and a potentially large settlement. They also mention that his initial complaint with Combs had to do with nonpayment and that it wasn't until he worked with his attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, that he began making salacious claims in his complaint, which includes the claim that Combs was using kompromat as leverage to gain power and control over others.
“Mr. Combs has compromising video footage of every person who attended his 'crazy' parties and house parties,” the complaint reads, referring to alleged day-long sex parties the mogul allegedly hosted. “Upon information and belief, because of this treasure trove of evidence that he has in his possession, Mr. Combs believes that he is above the law and that he is untouchable.”
September 11, 2024: Singer Dawn Richard filed what is now the 10th lawsuit against Combs since the cascade of litigation began in November. In 2003, Richard formed the girl group Danity Kane, which Combs mentored as part of his role on the MTV series Being a Band. She alleges that Combs, while they worked together, subjected her to years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping.
September 15, 2024: Combs had returned to New York in anticipation of his arrest. He has been spotted multiple times around Manhattan and reports indicate that the beleaguered quasi-billionaire appeared to be in good spirits. The Sunday before he was taken into custody, Combs was spotted mingling among fans in Central Park and is seen in a photo obtained by News Nation sitting on a bench with his attorney; that night, he was photographed walking around the city with his son, Christian Combs.
September 16, 2024: Combs is arrested in Manhattan, and an indictment, unsealed the next day, charges the fallen tycoon with crimes related to an alleged decades-long pattern of physical and sexual violence against women. Federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking and racketeering for running a vast criminal enterprise through which he assaulted and trafficked women with the help of his various businesses since at least 2008. He has pleaded not guilty and fought for bail of $60 million, but the judge ruled he would be detained until trial.
October 1, 2024: Two weeks after Combs' arrest, it was announced that as many as 120 other accusers would file lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and sex trafficking. Most of the accusers said they were drugged and then raped; many were young and trying to break into the music industry when they say the incidents occurred.
“I expect that, through this process, many powerful people will be exposed. Many dirty secrets will be exposed,” said Tony Buzbee, attorney for several accusers, when the lawsuits were announced. “Many people trying to break into the industry were forced into this type of conduct with the promise of becoming a star. “
Buzbee also revealed that companies and individuals who allegedly turned a blind eye to the misconduct will be named in the litigation. Universal Music Group, Epic Records and Bad Boy Entertainment have already been named in lawsuits filed against Combs for alleged similar crimes, but this would open the door to the music industry mainstay and blockbuster labels.
Accusers are located in 25 states, with the majority residing in California, New York, Georgia and Florida, and are evenly split between men and women. The youngest accuser was nine and another 14 at the time of the alleged incidents, lawyers revealed; 25 of the 120 people who sued Combs were minors.
This story was originally published on September 18 at 11:11 am