The disgraced hip-hop mogul denies a woman's claims that he and former Bad Boy president Harve Pierre trafficked and then raped her at a recording studio in 2003 when she was 17.
- Feb 21, 2024
AceShowbiz - Sean "P. Diddy" Combs maintains his innocence amid multiple lawsuits filed against him. The rapper has denied a woman's claims that he "gang-raped" her in 2003 in his first official challenge to the woman's suit.
Per Rolling Stone's report, the 54-year-old submitted his paperwork on Tuesday, February 20 in response to the suit by the fourth woman, who is identified as Jane Doe. In his 11-page answers filed in the Southern District of New York, he denied that he, Harve Pierre and a third unidentified men trafficked her across the state, plied her with a "copious amounts of drugs and alcohol" and took turns raping her in a bathroom of his Daddy's House Recording Studio.
"(Combs) never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever," the court filings read.
Diddy then took issue with the timing of the lawsuit and challenged the veracity of the photographs included as evidence by the plaintiff. One of the photos featured the alleged victim sitting on Diddy's lap inside Daddy's House on the night of the alleged incident.
"The context, genuineness, and/or accuracy of the photographs are disputed," his answer states. "Plaintiff's decision to wait more than two decades to file her complaint has prejudiced defendant, as he has lost the ability to defend himself fully and fairly in this action. For example, some or all evidence that otherwise would have been available if the action had been promptly commenced may be unavailable, lost, or compromised."
Diddy argues that the suit should be thrown out because the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA) under which it was brought is purportedly "unconstitutional." He adds, "Allowing this action to proceed violates defendant’s rights under the U.S. Constitution and the New York State Constitution."
The answer was filed after Diddy hired new lawyers, Bobbi C. Sternheim, known for defending Jeffrey Epstein's collaborator Ghislaine Maxwell at trial, and Shawn Holley, who represented former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer in an arbitration that got him reinstated with Major League Baseball after sexual assault allegations.
Harve filed his own answer on Tuesday, saying he "never participated in the sexual assault of the plaintiff nor did he ever witness anyone else sexually assaulting the plaintiff."
Diddy was previously slapped with a lawsuit by his ex-girlfriend Cassie, who accused him of sexual assault and trafficking during their relationship. They settled the case one day after it was filed, but the music producer was quickly hit with similar lawsuits by other women.
Following the the fourth lawsuit, Diddy said in a statement posted on Instagram in December 2023, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH." He said, "For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth."
