Trigger warning: This article contains vivid descriptions of sexual assault.
Sean “Diddy” Combs may be inching closer to his federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial on May 12, but he’s got to deal with a myriad of legal ups and downs before he gets there. And by “ups and downs,” we mean some truly disturbing and unbelievable updates, some of which sound too absurd to be true.
And because we know trying to keep up with the latest happenings can be a bit overwhelming, keep reading for a breakdown of some of twists and turns that have occurred within the last week. Fair warning, some of these updates might be a bit NSFW.
Diddy Scores Rare Legal Win Via Lil Rod Sexual Assault Lawsuit
As we previously told you, as the month of March came to an end, the disgraced hip-hop mogul received a rare win when it came to his sexual assault lawsuit filed by one of his former producers, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones.
Thanks to a New York judge, he decided to dismiss partial claims from the bombshell suit, including: emotional distress, breach of contract, and the biggest charge of all, RICO violations.
Diddy’s Good News Is Short-Lived Thanks to New NSFW Lawsuit
Not too long after the aforementioned win, yet another scathing lawsuit was filed against the Bad Boy founder. This time, it stemmed from an unidentified male photographer who decided to sue Diddy for sexual battery and alleged that he was made to perform oral sex on him for the promise of career advancement during a “high-profile commercial” shoot some time in late 2022 through early 2023.
One of the more graphic of all the suits, the John Doe claimed that after he performed oral sex on Diddy, he was told to carry the “semen in his mouth like a squirrel.” After Doe refused, he went back to working on set but was physically and mentally traumatized “with the knowledge that he had Combs’ semen on and inside of his body.”
Doe, through his attorney Tony Buzbee are seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.
Diddy’s Legal Luck Turns In His Favor Once Again
Just when the negativity of the aforementioned sexual battery suit started to sink in, the pendulum of legal justice swung in the opposite direction yet again thanks to yet another lawsuit dismissal.
This time, per PEOPLE on Thursday, a lawsuit lobbed against Diddy by an anonymous Jane Doe who claimed she was sexually assaulted at a party back in 1995 was thrown out by by a New York judge. The reason? Doe missed the deadline to refile the suit under her real name and not under the condition of anonymity, as given to her by a previous ruling.
In a statement following the dismissal, lawyers for Diddy said:
“For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by attorneys more focused on media headlines than legal merit. The other claims, like the one dismissed today, also will not hold up in a court of law.”
Diddy Gets Dealt Yet Another Blow in Star-Studded Suit
As to be expected in Diddy’s legal game of ping-pong, his win was once again followed by yet another lawsuit filing. This time, according to USA Today on Thursday, it came from a man named Joseph Manzaro who claims he was sexually assaulted, drugged, and taken to a Miami home owned by Gloria Estefan back in 2015 for Christian “King” Combs birthday.
Manzaro then claimed he was taken to Diddy’s mansion where he was present at one of his “freak-off” events and was allegedly paraded around with a dildo strapped to his face in a degrading manner. He also alleged that he ran into Beyonce, Jay-Z and LeBron James while in his drugged stupor. To be clear, none of the entertainers are named in the suit but Estefan’s husband Emilio is alongside Diddy and others.
Reps for James and Jay-Z have denied Manzaro claims, alleging that their respective clients weren’t even in Miami at the time of the incident and pointed to “ basic internet searches” and “easily findable public activities” that support their timeline as opposed to Manzaro’s. Beyonce has yet to respond while reps for the Estefans also vehemently deny the claims.
Lawyers for Diddy have also denied this latest suit, saying in a statement:
“This complaint demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday. No sane person reading this complaint could credit this story. Mr. Combs looks forward to having his day in court where these lies – and the perverse motives of those who told them – will be revealed.”
Diddy’s Federal Case Gets Another Layer Added to It
On Friday, it was announced that federal prosecutors in New York filed their third superseding indictment against Diddy. Per ABC News, this latest indictement adds another charge of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. They stem from an unidentified person, described in court documents as Victim-2. If convicted, the music mogul could face additional years behind bars.