Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing new sexual assault and rape accusations in five civil lawsuits filed by attorney Tony Buzbee in the Southern District of New York. The suits do not name the plaintiffs but include allegations of assault or rape by Combs in separate incidents between 2000 and 2022. Two plaintiffs are men and three are women, with one woman alleging that Combs raped her when she was 13. Combs is also accused of drugging the plaintiffs. Buzbee plans to file a total of seven suits against Combs and others as evidence is gathered. Combs’ legal team has denied all the accusations, stating that he has confidence in the facts and legal defenses.
Combs is currently held without bail on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, with his criminal trial set to start on May 5. Federal prosecutors are going through data on over 90 devices seized from Combs’ properties. His legal team has filed a motion to publicly identify his accusers in the federal case for a proper defense. Combs continues to fight his bail denial, with an appeal filed in New York’s federal appeals court.
Since a lawsuit by his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, which was settled, several others have sued Combs, including Dawn Richard who alleged assault and imprisonment. Combs has denied all allegations against him. NBC News correspondent Chloe Melas, along with CNBC’s Dan Mangan, contributed to the reporting of this news.
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