There’s a new lawsuit out of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ camp ..and surprisingly, it’s not yet another one directed toward the mogul himself.
According to official documents from the New York federal court obtained by USA Today, Diddy’s bodyguard Joseph Sherman sued Thalia Graves, who named Sherman in a September lawsuit that alleged that he and Diddy “viciously raped” a woman in 2001.
His attorneys are reportedly calling Graves’ allegations “utterly false and untrue,” while also claiming that he stopped working with Combs in 1999, two years before the alleged events took place in Graves’ lawsuit.
The suit claims that Graves and her lawyers are trying to “blackmail” Sherman, saying that she and the team, “made outrageous, disgusting, and life-altering statements...without any regard for the truth.” The statement also adds, “Joseph Sherman has never met Thalia Graves, let alone raped her.”
Sherman’s lawsuit claims that he has now suffered “severe reputational harm, emotional distress, and financial damages,” while also claiming that Graves messaged him directly, asking him to offer “false testimony against Sean Combs in exchange for being left out of the legal proceedings.”
As The Root reported, Graves’ lawsuit was filed in September as one of many suits coming Diddy’s way, with Graves serving as the 11th plaintiff to come forward with a lawsuit against him alleging sexual assault. The suit alleges that during the summer of 2001, she was lured by both men, was given a laced drink and woke up bound and restrained.
The suit adds that Graves was allegedly “brutally sexually abused by the men,” claiming she suffered “burns on her private areas and bruises over her face and wrists.” She also allegedly learned that the incident was filmed and shared to “multiple men.”
The news of this lawsuit came days after his highly publicized arrest in New York City. The 55-year-old rapper was arrested on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and sex trafficking, and is currently being held at the The Metropolitan Detention Center.