Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been sued by a man who said the rapper drugged him and sexually assaulted him at a Southern California nightclub in 2015, effectively ending his career in the music industry.
The man accusing Combs, 55, in Monday’s court filing in New York County Supreme Court, filed under the pseudonym John Doe, and is represented by Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee, who is also representing a number of Combs’ other accusers.
Doe said in court filings that he was 23 when he crossed paths with Combs at the Montebello, California nightclub QC’s 20/20, USA Today reported Tuesday after reviewing court filings.
Doe told the court that after he got ‘multiple invitations to open for well-known artists at venues across California,’ the incident occurred after the New York City native showed up to a performance under the premise he was scouting him for his record label.
Attorneys for Combs, who was hospitalized last week, told Dailymail.com in a statement that the entertainer ‘is confident he will prevail in court.’
Said Combs’ legal team: ‘No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted, or sex trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (pictured 2018 in NYC) has been sued by a man who said the rapper drugged him and sexually assaulted him at a Southern California nightclub in 2015, effectively ending his career in the music industry
Doe said in court filings that he was 23 when he crossed paths with Combs at the Montebello, California nightclub QC’s 20/20, USA Today reported Tuesday after reviewing court filings
‘We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth, and Mr. Combs.’
Doe said in court filings that a ‘longtime and well-known associate’ of Combs told him prior to his outing that three-time Grammy winner ‘had heard of his talent and would be watching him perform – hinting at the possibility of ‘studio time with Combs himself.’
Doe said in legal documents that at an afterparty, the I’ll Be Missing You artist sent him an alcoholic beverage that contained Ciroc, a vodka brand owned by Combs.
Doe told the court that ‘quickly felt lightheaded’ and passed out after consuming the alcoholic beverage Combs sent him.
‘While drifting in and out of consciousness, Doe observed Combs and his entourage engaging in group sexual activity, often with other attendees who appeared either drugged, unconscious, or as if they were paid escorts,’ Doe’s court filing read.
Doe said in the court filing that he was awoken by ‘a physical jolt’ and found that his pants had been taken off and Combs was groping him.
Doe told the court ‘believes Combs had been performing oral sex on him during the alleged encounter,’ the newspaper reported.
Doe said in court filings that when he tried to stop Combs, the music mogul reminded him of the power balance, informing him that he could ‘easily contact his manager and ruin any chances he had of succeeding in the music industry.’
Combs pictured in 2015, the year of the alleged assault, at the NBA All-Star basketball game in NYC
Combs as seen in a court sketch from an October 10, 2024 hearing in Manhattan Federal Court
Doe accuses the Coming Home performer of sexual battery and is seeking damages for physical and emotional distress he suffered due to Combs’ alleged transgressions.
In the court filing – one in a spate of lawsuits the Bad Boy Records founder faces alleging past sexual abuse – Doe’s legal team, led by Buzbee, said that ‘the conduct described herein is shockingly typical of how defendant Sean Combs conducted himself for many years.’
Doe’s attorneys added, ‘Sean Combs believed he was above the law. He is not.’
Doe – who named Combs’ subsidiaries Bad Boy Records and Daddy’s House Recordings the the lawsuit – said in legal documents that Combs demanded he have sex with a woman there who he never met before, but left the venue discreetly.
Doe’s legal team told the court he suffered ‘pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment and emotional torment’ due to his exchange with Combs.
‘This assault greatly affected Doe’s passion for music, leading him to abandon his aspirations for many years,’ Doe’s lawyers said. ‘The reality and dark underbelly of the industry, as revealed through his encounter with Combs, ended his desire and dreams to pursue a career in that world.’
Prior to his arrest, Diddy was in the headlines for much of 2024 year after video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie surfaced on CNN in May
Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges after his September arrest. He has remained incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting a May 5 trial, after he was refused bail on multiple occasions.
Prosecutors in Combs’ federal case say the music mogul used blackmail and violence in his efforts to silence victims.
Among the claims made against the entertainer is that he persuaded women to participate against their will in group sexual exhibitions referred to as ‘Freak Offs.’
The Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down performer remains in federal custody nearly five months after his September 16 arrest in Manhattan in connection with sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Combs, who is also charged with transportation to engage in prostitution, has made a trio of attempts in vain to be granted bail, amid concerns from the court he would attempt to flee or tamper with his case.
Prior to his arrest he was in the headlines for much of 2024 year after raids on multiple properties in March; and video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie surfacing on CNN in May.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reacted at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
