25 Minors Including a 9-Year-Old Victim
Defense Attorney: "Number of Clients May Increase"
Sean Diddy Combs (55), a major figure in the American hip-hop scene known by the stage name "Puff Daddy," is expected to face lawsuits for sexual crimes from more than 120 victims. Currently incarcerated on prostitution charges, he now faces a large-scale lawsuit crisis while in custody.
According to reports from U.S. media outlets such as the Associated Press and CNN on the 2nd (local time), Tony Buzzbee, a lawyer based in Houston, Texas, held a press conference the day before and announced plans to file a civil lawsuit next month against Combs seeking compensation for damages related to sexual violence, confinement, forced prostitution, and sexual abuse of minors, including the use of controlled substances.
Buzzbee stated that there are currently 120 victims willing to participate in the lawsuit, including 60 men and 60 women, who have suffered harm from Combs over the past 25 years. Half of the victims are male, two-thirds are African American, and 25 were minors at the time of the abuse. One victim testified that they were 9 years old when the sexual abuse occurred. Buzzbee explained, "These incidents mainly took place at parties held from 1991 to this year in locations such as New York and California."
The incidents mostly occurred at parties celebrating album releases, New Year's Eve, and Independence Day. Victims testified that they unknowingly drank beverages laced with drugs at these parties, and while intoxicated, Combs either engaged in sexual acts with them or forced them to have sex with others. Another victim testified that Combs exerted power over aspiring entertainers who came for auditions by promising to "make them stars." Buzzbee said that after recruiting potential additional victims, over 3,000 people contacted him, and he plans to proceed with the lawsuit by gathering cases deemed credible. He also mentioned that the number of clients could increase during the intake process.
Previously, Combs was criminally charged last month with prostitution, forced labor, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. According to the indictment, Combs forced victims into group sex and illegally recorded it. Separately, last year, Combs was sued for sexual assault by his ex-girlfriend, singer Kashy (Cassandra Ventura), and an actor who appeared in one of his music videos. He was urgently arrested last month and is currently detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in New York.
A video of Sean Diddy Combs (54), a giant in the American hip-hop scene, assaulting singer Kesha, who was his girlfriend at the time 8 years ago. [Photo by CNN]
Combs' side immediately denied the allegations. Combs' lawyer, Erica Wolf, issued a statement saying, "We cannot respond to every reckless claim that has become a circus. The allegations that he sexually abused everyone, including minors, are false and we firmly deny them as defamation. Mr. Combs will prove his innocence in court, and the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."
Combs has reigned as a giant in the music industry as a hip-hop artist, producer, and label head. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records, representing East Coast hip-hop in the U.S., and has won three Grammy Awards. He helped produce stars such as Notorious BIG, Usher, and Faith Evans, building his reputation. In 2005, he was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people.
However, controversy erupted last November when his ex-girlfriend, singer Kashy, sued him alleging years of sexual and physical abuse. In May, his reputation began to crack after hotel CCTV footage showing him excessively assaulting Kashy was released.
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