REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
- On Tuesday, a former model sued Sean "Diddy" Combs, claiming that he sexually assaulted her in 2003.
- On Sunday, Combs apologized for assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura after a 2016 video resurfaced.
- Here's a timeline of all the allegations against the hip-hop mogul.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is now simultaneously facing five sexual misconduct lawsuits after a former model accused him of assaulting her in 2003.
Crystal McKinney claimed that Combs sexually assaulted her in his studio when she was 22, per a lawsuit filed in New York federal court on Tuesday.
McKinney's lawsuit comes a few days after Combs publicly apologized for physically assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura months after her suit against him was settled.
On May 17, CNN published surveillance footage of Combs kicking Ventura and grabbing the singer by the neck at a California hotel in 2016.
The video corroborated Ventura's allegations against Combs in a federal lawsuit filed in November 2023. Combs denied the allegation at the time, but the suit was settled a day after it was filed.
On Sunday, Combs broke his silence regarding the hotel footage, saying he was "disgusted" by his past actions in a video shared on Instagram.
"It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that," Combs said. "I was fucked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses."
Following Ventura's lawsuit, a cascade of sexual assault allegations has been levied against Combs, including a complaint from producer Rodney Jones Jr, also known as Lil Rod, who filed a lawsuit against him in Manhattan federal court on February 26.
In March, Combs' homes were raided by federal officials, with multiple reports indicating the search was related to a sex trafficking probe.
Here's a timeline of the sexual assault allegations Combs has faced in the last few months.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
In the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court and reviewed by Business Insider, Ventura accused Combs of years of physical abuse, raping her in their home, and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. The pair had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2007 to 2018.
Ventura said in a statement that she was speaking up before the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act, a yearlong suspension on the normal time restrictions for sexual assault lawsuits, which ended on November 23, 2023.
"After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships," Ventura said.
Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, denied the allegation in a statement to Business Insider and accused Ventura of trying to "tarnish" Combs' reputation for money.
"For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura's persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail," Brafman said.
BI reported that Douglas Wigdor, Ventura's lawyer, said Combs offered Ventura an eight-figure sum to prevent her from speaking out before the suit was filed.
The next day, the Associated Press reported that Ventura and Combs had settled the suit. The agreement's details were not publicly disclosed.
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
On the eve of the expiration date for the Adult Survivors Act, two more women accused Combs of sexual abuse in separate lawsuits.
Business Insider reported that Joi Dickerson-Neal, one of the accusers, accused Combs of drugging her, sexually assaulting her, and videotaping the assault after a date in 1991. Dickerson-Neal said the incident caused her to become withdrawn, and that she was diagnosed later with clinical depression and dropped out of college.
The other accuser, who filed the suit without revealing her identity, said that Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall sexually assaulted her and a friend after a music industry event in 1990 or 1991, according to AP. The suit said that Combs came to their home a few days later to silence them and choked the woman until she passed out, per AP.
A representative for Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
A spokesperson for Combs told AP that Combs denied both allegations and said the women were exploiting the Adult Survivors Act.
Both cases were pending as of late February, NBC News reported.
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Amid the numerous lawsuits, Revolt, a cable television network, announced on Instagram that Combs was stepping down as chairman.
Rolling Stone reported on December 3 that Hulu canceled an upcoming reality show project based on Combs and his family called "Diddy+7." Rolling Stone also said 23 brands severed ties with Combs' marketplace for Black-owned businesses, Empower Global.
Wigdor LLP
The woman, who also filed the suit anonymously, alleged that Combs, his longtime producing partner Harve Pierre, and an unnamed third man "sex trafficked and gang raped" her in 2003 when she was 17, according to prior reporting by BI.
The lawsuit said Pierre flew the women to Combs' studio in New York, where they gave her drugs and alcohol until she was too inebriated to consent.
"While at the studio, Ms. Doe was gang raped by Mr. Combs, the Third Assailant and Mr. Pierre, in that order," the suit says. The suit also included photos of the accuser, with her face blurred, in the New York studio.
Combs denied the allegation on Instagram and declared he was going to "fight for my name, my family and for the truth."
"For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy," he said. "Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday."
Pierre didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
On February 20, 2024, Rolling Stone reported that Combs, Pierre, and Combs' company, Bad Boy Entertainment, filed a response to the lawsuit. Combs' lawyers refuted the allegation and questioned the accuracy of the photographs.
"(Combs) never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever," the filing says, per Rolling Stone.
Combs' lawyers also said the suit should be thrown out because they believe an amendment to the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act, which allowed the unnamed woman to sue Combs, is unconstitutional.
The 2022 amendment removes the statute of limitations for gender-based violence cases for two years, similar to the Adult Survivors Act.
Pierre also denied participating in any sexual assault when he filed his defense. Bad Boy Entertainment motioned to dismiss the suit against them, arguing there is no basis that the Gender-Motivated Violence Act expands to corporate defendants.
Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs
Tiffany Red is a singer-songwriter who became friends with Ventura in 2015 while working together. In December 2023, Red wrote an open letter in Rolling Stone to Combs, saying that she saw Combs verbally abusing Ventura after Ventura's 29th birthday party in August 2015.
Red said the incident occurred outside a private karaoke room that the group went to after the main party. According to Red, Combs pulled Ventura out of the room, cornered her with his security team, and "cursed her out with your hands in her face."
"I felt helpless. She looked afraid and kept looking down at the floor. I didn't know what to do. I was scared," Red said.
In response, Combs' spokesperson referred Rolling Stone to Combs' Instagram statement.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Jones' suit, filed in late February, lists several allegations against Combs.
The suit says Combs made Jones work in a bathroom while Combs walked around naked and showered. Jones also accused Combs of grabbing his genitals without consent, attempting to "groom" Jones into having sex with another man, and forcing Jones to "solicit sex workers and perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs."
Jones alleged in the suit he was not paid for his work on Combs' latest album, according to the Times. There is an online crowdfunding campaign with a statement reading "Help Me Sue Sean 'Diddy' Combs," which seems to have been started by Jones earlier this month.
Shawn Holley, an attorney for Combs, accused Jones of lying to get money from Combs.
"Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday," she said in a statement to BI. "His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."
Tyrone Blackburn, Jones' attorney, did not imm
