S Poddar
Three men have come forward with allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, claiming the hip-hop mogul drugged them and sexually assaulted them while they were unconscious. The accusations, detailed in lawsuits filed in New York on Thursday, add to the growing legal troubles for the music icon, who is also facing federal sex trafficking charges.
The anonymous lawsuits filed under the names John Doe, which detail alleged incidents that happened between 2019 and 2022, paint a disturbing picture. A former employee said Combs drugged and raped him in 2020 after they met at the InterContinental Hotel in Times Square to discuss overdue payments.
Another accuser testifies that in 2019, he met Combs at a Manhattan nightclub and was subsequently invited to an afterparty at the Park Hyatt Hotel. There, he testified, he was given a drink laced with a drug, rendering him unconscious, and was then assaulted. He testified he tried to struggle before he lost consciousness from the effects of the drug. The man testified he was handed $2,500 by someone who had been recording the assault after the attack.
The third man claims that he was drugged and sexually assaulted at Combs’ East Hampton mansion during a party attended by associates from the mogul’s record label in the summer of 2020.
The three men’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said that the lawsuits are an important step toward empowering the victims.
This is a long overdue opportunity for the victims to take the power back after carrying the burden of the assaults in silence for several years,” Giuffra said in a statement. “While a lawsuit will not undo the wrongs done to them, it enables the survivors to regain the power and dignity that was stripped from them by Sean Combs.
The lawsuits claim that Combs exploited his influence and wealth to victimize the accusers, silenced them through fear, threats, and manipulation. Each of the plaintiffs is seeking a jury trial and unspecified financial damages.
Combs’ defense team has vigorously denied the allegations.
Those complaints are full of lies,” his lawyers said. “We will prove them false and seek sanctions against every unethical lawyer who filed fictional claims against him.
These lawsuits mark the latest in a line of legal challenges for the 55-year-old founder of Bad Boy Records, accused of orchestrating years of sexual abuse. Prosecutors say Combs coerced people into participating in what they describe as “Freak Offs,” elaborate drug-fueled sexual events featuring male sex workers.
The accusations include not only sexual violence but also other forms of intimidation, such as blackmail, physical beatings, arson, and even kidnapping. Combs has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
He has been in custody since his arrest and remains in a federal detention center in Brooklyn. Last month, his third attempt to secure bail was denied, leaving him behind bars as he awaits trial scheduled for May.
These lawsuits bring a moment of reckoning for many across the music industry, peeling off the veil off allegations of abuses of power. Of course, they remain to be seen; still, these cases have already encouraged public discourses on responsibility and culture of silence meant to hide such powerful figures long.
While Combs’ attorneys continue to dismiss the allegations as baseless, the accusers and their legal team are determined to fight for justice.
“This is about more than financial compensation—it’s about giving these survivors their voices back,” Giuffra added. “They deserve their day in court to expose the truth and begin the process of healing.”
