120 people are going to sue rapper Combs for rape and sexual assault

HOUSTON: More than 100 people, including dozens of children, who say they were victims of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation by Sean “Diddy” Combs will sue the rap star, an attorney said Tuesday.

The latest legal action will put even more pressure on a man who once dominated pop culture but has long been dogged by allegations of violent abuse of women and who is in prison on criminal charges.

“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry, which wasn’t really a secret at all, has finally been revealed to the world,” Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said as he announced plans by 120 people, including 25 minors, to file civil charges. action.

“The wall of silence has been broken and victims are coming forward.”

Combs was indicted last month on three criminal charges alleging he sexually assaulted women and coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence.

The allegations against Combs have been piling up since last year, when singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged that Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion through physical violence and drugs, as well as a 2018 rape.

A wave of similar suits has since painted a picture of Combs as a violent man who used his status to prey on women.

He has denied being guilty of the criminal charges. He is in prison awaiting trial.

In Houston, Buzbee said more than 3,000 people had made accusations against Combs, and he urged anyone who may have been a victim to come forward.

He said many of the abuses allegedly committed by Combs and members of his circle followed a pattern.

“I would say that 90 percent of the time these individuals were drugged. One person, who was 22 when she was attacked, said… when you’re handed a drink – and we know there’s something in the drink. – if you refused to drink it, you were kicked out of the party.”

He described cases of repeated rape of teenagers allegedly carried out by Combs and his associates.

He said alleged abuse of minors often occurred in the context of a promise of fame and fortune in the music industry.

A boy, who was only 9 at the time, was brought to New York to audition for Combs’ label Bad Boy Records.

“This individual was sexually assaulted, allegedly by Combs and other people at the studio, on the promise to his parents and himself that he would get a record deal,” Buzbee said. AFP