Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Accused of Sexual Assault by 120 Victims Including ‘People We All Know’
Update: 10/1/24 4:17 p.m. ET — Diddy is now being accused of sexual assault and sex trafficking by 120 victims.
Lawyer Tony Buzbee said during a press conference on Tuesday, October 1, that his practice the Buzbee Law Firm and the AVA Law Group have a group of 60 men and 60 women claiming to be victimized by Diddy dating back to the early 90s.
25 of the individuals were minors at the time of the alleged incident, per CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister. The firms were contacted by more than 3000 individuals. No lawsuits have been filed yet.
While the identities of the victims have not been revealed, Buzbee shared that some of the names will be a “shock” since they are “people we all know,” according to Wagmeister.
Diddy’s attorney Erica Wolff shared a statement with Us Weekly about Buzbee’s remarks.
"He cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” the message read. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors."
Original story below:
A Texas law firm is set to represent more than 50 alleged victims with sexual assault and abuse claims against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
"The Buzbee Law Firm has been associated by the Ava Law Group to act as Lead Counsel to pursue claims on behalf of more than fifty individuals who suffered sexual assault and abuse at the hands of Sean 'Diddy' Combs and his cohorts," attorney Tony Buzbee began in a lengthy statement posted via Instagram on Thursday, September 26.
Buzbee, 55, noted that the "brave group of individuals include both men and women," many of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He also stated that some of the individuals reported the incidents to the police while others did not.
He continued, "Each individual story is gut wrenching and heartbreaking. The acts complained of occurred at hotels, private homes, and also at the infamous P. Diddy 'Freak Off' parties. The violations against this group of individuals are mind boggling and can only be described as debauchery and depravity, exacted by powerful people against minors and the weak."
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Buzbee, who has not yet filed a formal lawsuit on behalf of the alleged victims, added that he expects the group will "grow as this case progresses" and that "many other individuals will be implicated" before detailing plans for a press conference next week, where "some of these stories can be told as the [nation] learns more and grapples with the potential scope of this scandal."
He concluded, "We are proud to represent this group of brave souls and pray for justice on their behalf. If you know of an individual seeking assistance who was abused as described above, please don’t hesitate to encourage them to contact our Firm. The consultation is confidential."
Us Weekly has reached out to Diddy's team for comment.
Buzbee's move to represent the 50-plus individuals with allegations against Diddy, 54, is one of the latest developments in the disgraced music mogul's legal battles.
In paperwork filed on Friday, September 27, an anonymous woman reportedly sued Diddy, claiming that he repeatedly assaulted her over a four-year period after they met in 2020. The woman, who is listed as Jane Doe, also claimed that she got pregnant after one of the alleged assaults but miscarried, according to TMZ.
The woman's lawsuit comes as Diddy faces a multitude of legal woes. The "Bad Boy for Life" rapper is currently in jail at Metropolitan Detention Center after being indicted on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
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In the 14-page unsealed indictment, prosecutors alleged that he “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.” Some of the accusations in the indictment dated back to 2009.
The indictment also claimed that Diddy “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals" and that "this abuse was, at times, verbal, emotional, physical and sexual.”
Diddy has denied all allegations against him and pleaded not guilty before being denied bail twice, as prosecutors argued that the rapper should be held without bail pending the outcome of the trial.
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“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us in a statement after his arrest. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community.”
He added: "He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).