Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mystery professional athlete stopped Diddy assault on young man, lawsuit claims

It’s alleged Sean Combs had assaulted the Los Angeles man in his private office

Michelle Del Rey
Wednesday 23 October 2024 01:11 BST
Related video: Diddy posts video apologising for 2016 attack of Cassie

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused in a new lawsuit of sexually assaulting a Los Angeles businessman during a Ciroc party roughly two years ago.

The lawsuit alleges Combs invited the unidentified plaintiff, who owns a business renting luxury cars and jewelry, to the promotional party for his vodka brand and asked him to follow him to his private office.

Once inside the office, the man claims he noticed Combs “was intoxicated and acting strangely.” Combs then began awkwardly moving closer to the businessman, removed his pants and exposed his genitals to the man, the filing states.

It’s alleged the musician kept moving closer and then grabbed the plaintiff’s genitals through his pants “squeezing them in a rough and sexual manner.”

The man became “shocked and disoriented,” the lawsuit states. He “froze momentarily and did not know how to respond to the weirdly inappropriate sexual advance made by Combs.” The situation escalated until a professional athlete entered the office and intervened and Combs stopped his alleged advances.

A photo of Combs at a Ciroc party in 2022. The music mogul has been accused of sexually assaulting a man during the event
A photo of Combs at a Ciroc party in 2022. The music mogul has been accused of sexually assaulting a man during the event (USSDNY)

The plaintiff managed to take photos of the party, which are included in the filing, before leaving and going home.

The complaint is just one of a series of lawsuits filed against Combs this month. Several have been filed against him since Sunday. It’s expected that 100 suits will be filed against Combs, stating he sexually abused and exploited dozens of people.

In September, he was arrested on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Federal prosecutors claim he abused and coerced women and others around him “to fulfill his sexual desires” – which allegedly included forcing victims to engage in recorded sexual activity which he referred to as “freak offs.”

A photo of a Ciroc bottle from the party
A photo of a Ciroc bottle from the party (USSDNY)

In an emailed response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Combs said: “As Mr Combs’s legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus. That said, Mr Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.

“He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”

The plaintiff in the suit has suffered significant emotional distress and trauma, the filing states. He continues to deal with the psychological and emotional consequences of the events. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for a sexual assault.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in