Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sued for Rape and Distribution of Assault Video
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sued by a victim who claims that he and a bodyguard viciously raped her at a New York City recording studio in 2001.
In the suit, filed earlier today in the Southern District of New York, Thalia Graves alleges that Combs and his associate Joseph Sherman drugged her, sexually assaulted her and filmed it on camera without her consent. Graves says that in the years since the assault, she has suffered depression, anxiety and panic attacks. In Nov. 2023, she learned of the existence of the video recording of the incident and the fact that Combs and Sherman had sold it as pornography.
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Representatives for Combs, who is currently incarcerated on charges stemming from sex trafficking and racketeering, did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
Graves spoke out publicly during a press conference this afternoon, tearfully recalling the effect that the alleged assault had on her while seated next to her attorney, Gloria Allred. “The internal pain after being sexually assaulted has been incredibly deep and hard to put into the words,” she said. “It goes beyond just physical harm caused by and during the assault. It’s a pain that reaches into your very core of who you are, and leaves emotional scars that will never be fully healed.”
She continued by detailing how the assault has caused irreparable damage to her mental health. “I’ve had PTSD, depression and anxiety. I’m emotionally scarred. It has been hard for me to trust others, to form healthy relationships, or even feel safe in my own skin. Flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts make me feel like it’s a constant struggle. I also suffer with physical problems, such as chronic pain, sexual discomfort, the violation I have experienced during the assault has had lasting effects on my body, causing ongoing health problems and complications. The combination of physical and emotional pain has created a cycle of suffering from which it is so hard to break free. I want to continue on this journey towards recovery and healing. I’m glad that he is locked up, but that’s a temporary feeling of relief.”
The complaint, reviewed by Variety, goes into graphic detail about the assault. Graves first met Combs around 2000 through her then-boyfriend, who was an executive at Combs’ Bad Boy Records at the time. Combs allegedly called Graves in the summer of 2001 about her boyfriend’s employment, asking her to meet in person to discuss his standing at the company.
Combs picked up Graves from her residence in Queens and was given a glass of wine that she believes was drugged. She began to feel dizzy and when she tried to get out of the car, she had difficulty walking. Once inside Daddy’s Home studio, she lost consciousness and came to without her clothes on, with her hands tied behind her back. When she shouted for help, Sherman slammed her face on the pool table.
Combs supposedly emerged nude and began to both vaginally and anally rape her, as Graves screamed in pain. She then lost and regained consciousness to Sherman forcing her to perform oral sex. After losing consciousness again, Graves awoke to find herself alone in the room. She called a livery driver and fled the scene, with the driver trying to convince her to report the rape and get a rape kit but she was unable to do so, terrified of retribution from Combs.
Over the years, Combs and Sherman apparently contacted Graves and warned her to remain silent, threatening the loss of custody of her son if she ever reported the rape. In 2023, shortly after Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Venture filed the first of many public lawsuits against the mogul, Graves learned of the recording of the incident and that Combs had continued to show the video and sold it as pornography.
Graves is the 11th person to accuse Combs of assault since Ventura filed her Nov. 2023 suit. She is suing for compensatory and punitive damages, among other costs and fees.
Combs is currently incarcerated after pleading not guilty to three counts including racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was denied appeal during his bail hearing last week after a judge deemed him a danger and flight risk.
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