More than 100 people are suing Sean Diddy Combs over allegations of sexual harassment, rape and sexual exploitation

More than 100 people will sue rap musician Sean “Diddy” Combs over allegations of sexual assault, rape and sexual exploitation, according to a U.S. attorney.

Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said the alleged victims included minors who had been abused since they were nine years old.

“This is an important issue that we will aggressively address,” Buzbee told reporters.

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Erica Wolff, the attorney representing Combs, said the rapper “emphatically and categorically” denies the allegations, calling them “false and defamatory.”

Buzbee said at a news conference Tuesday that he and his team will “expose any possible parties responsible” for the alleged abuse, or “any person or entity involved in or benefiting from this bad behavior.”

Wolff said in a statement to the BBC that Combs “looks forward to proving his innocence and clearing his name in court, where the truth will be determined based on evidence, not speculation.”

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This legal action is the latest against Combs.

Combs was arrested last week and faces criminal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He is currently in federal custody after his bail application was denied, which he is appealing.

He has denied all allegations of criminal wrongdoing.

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According to Buzbee, who is licensed to practice law in Texas and New York, the total number of victims he represents is 120, half of whom are men and half of whom are women, from more than 25 states in the U.S. .

He added that 25 of the alleged victims were minors. This is the first time Combs has been accused of child sexual abuse.

The charges cover the period between 1991 and this year, with incidents in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, Buzbee said. He added that most incidents occurred after 2015.

Also read: Sean Combs faces new sexual harassment claims in New York

Most of the accusers, he said, allege they were raped after parties organized by Combs, which were held at well-known locations as well as private homes and hotels.

Buzbee said the parties were held to mark album releases, or were New Year’s Eve parties and American Independence Day celebrations. Several others occurred during auditions.

“Often, especially young people who want to get into this industry, are coerced into this type of behavior with the promise of fame or the promise that Sean Combs will listen to their records,” Buzbee said.

One man, who was nine years old at the time, claimed he was sexually assaulted by Mr. Combs and his colleagues at a New York recording studio while he was trying to get a recording contract, his lawyer said.

“If only he wasn’t in power, I feel like I could be a great person. I left this industry because of what Sean Combs did to me,” he said in a statement through his attorney.

Another man, who was also a minor at the time, claims that Combs told him he would become a “star,” but first he had to visit the rapper alone, without his parents.

Once in a private area, his attorney claims Combs then asked the boy to perform oral sex on him.

Buzbee also brought up the case of a then-15-year-old girl who claimed she had flown to New York for a party Combs was hosting and was then raped by him and another person.

The lawyer claimed there was a clear modus operandi, with alleged victims typically being given drinks ‘laced with substances’ before being sexually assaulted.

“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry has finally been revealed to the world,” Buzbee said. “The wall of silence has now been broken.”

He added that this is not a class action lawsuit and that an individual case will be filed for each alleged victim.

Andrew Van Arsdale, an attorney with the law group AVA who is working with Buzbee, said his office has received more than 3,000 calls from people saying they have been harassed by the music mogul.

In addition to the 120 alleged victims, he said his company is looking into another 100 cases. (BBC/Z-3)