Lawyer says 120 accusers allege sexual misconduct against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

By JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) — An attorney said Tuesday he is representing 120 accusers who have made allegations of sexual misconduct against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the hip-hop mogul awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said he expects lawsuits to be filed within the next month, with most expected to be filed in New York and Los Angeles. Buzbee described the victims as 60 men and 60 women, and that 25 were minors at the time of the alleged misconduct. One person claimed he was 9 years old when he was abused, Buzbee said. The allegations cover a period from 1991 to this year.

“This type of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation should never happen in the United States or anywhere else. This should never have gone on for so long. This behavior has left a mass of individuals injured, scared and scarred,” Buzbee said at a news conference.

After the charges were announced in Texas, an attorney for Combs said the artist “cannot address every baseless accusation in what has become a reckless media circus.”

“That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors, as false and defamatory,” attorney Erica Wolff said in a statement. “He looks forward to proving his innocence and defending himself in court as claims are filed and served, where the truth will be determined based on evidence, not speculation.”

Buzbee said more than 3,280 individuals had contacted his firm claiming they had been victimized by Combs, and that after investigating the allegations, his firm decided to represent 120 people. Other cases are still under investigation. He said some of his clients have spoken to the FBI.

The individuals Buzbee’s firm represents come from more than 25 states, with the majority from California, New York, Georgia and Florida.

The alleged abuse occurred mainly at parties in New York, California and Florida, where individuals were served drinks laced with drugs, Buzbee said.

Some of the alleged behavior took place during auditions where “many times, especially young people, people who wanted to break into the industry, were coerced into this type of behavior in the promise of becoming a star,” Buzbee said.