Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Faces New Sexual Assault Lawsuit Amidst Criminal Charges

NEW YORK – Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to appeal a federal judge’s decision to keep him in detention without bail, following accusations of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2001. The allegations are detailed in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in federal court in New York.

The plaintiff, Thalia Graves, has accused Combs and his bodyguard, Joseph Sherman, of drugging and raping her in a recording studio, while also filming the alleged assault. Graves, who was 25 at the time, claims she met Combs through her boyfriend who worked at Combs’ record label, Bad Boy Entertainment. In an encounter during the summer of 2001, she alleges that after accepting a drink from Combs, she became “lightheaded and physically weak,” leading to a series of violent attacks against her.

Graves, visibly emotional, spoke alongside her attorney Gloria Allred at a Los Angeles press conference. She described the lasting emotional and physical scars from the incident. “The trauma of the assault has taken a toll on my mental health,” she said, recounting impacts such as severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The lawsuit further claims that in November 2023, Graves discovered that Combs and Sherman had recorded and distributed video footage of the assault without her consent. She accuses them of violating the New York City Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act and other civil rights laws.

This case is part of a series of legal challenges Combs is currently facing. Last week, he was indicted on charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution purposes, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The indictment portrays Combs as a figure running a “criminal enterprise,” organizing drug-related events and engaging in various abusive acts.

Adding to these accusations, several other lawsuits have been filed against Combs. These involve accusations from multiple women outlining patterns of sexual misconduct, assault, and illegal activity.

Thalia Graves alleges that she refrained from reporting the incident for years due to fears of retaliation from Combs, instead only confiding in close friends. Her lawsuit seeks to hold Combs, Sherman, and associated companies accountable for the alleged abuse and unauthorized recording and distribution of sensitive material.