Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of sexually assaulting 10-year-old boy in new lawsuit
In a new lawsuit, Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of raping and drugging a 10-year-old boy in the mid-2000s.
The civil complaint was filed Monday in New York Supreme Court by an anonymous John Doe who is represented by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, according to a court filing obtained by USA TODAY. Earlier this month, Buzbee announced he was representing 120 accusers with claims of sexual abuse against the embattled music mogul.
The lawsuit claims the alleged victim, who lives in California, met Combs in 2005 as an aspiring actor and rapper. Doe's parents had hired an entertainment industry consultant, who allegedly arranged a meeting with the Bad Boy Records founder in New York.
According to the lawsuit, Combs requested to meet with the boy alone for a "purported 'audition' at a hotel." After Doe performed several rap songs for him, the rapper allegedly told the child performer he could "make him a star."
"Combs asked (Doe) how badly he wanted to be a star, and what (Doe) would do to get to be one," the lawsuit states. Doe "responded, as might any 10-year-old child, that he would 'do anything.'"
The lawsuit claims Combs, who would have been around 36 at the time, drugged and sexually assaulted the boy.
Attorneys from the Buzbee Law Firm, Ava Law Group and Curtis Law filed a second lawsuit on Monday, in which an anonymous John Doe claims Combs and his bodyguard sexually assaulted Doe several times when he was 17 years old and auditioning for MTV's "Making the Band."
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In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Monday, Combs' attorneys denied the claims and said he and his legal team "have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process."
"The lawyer behind this lawsuit is interested in media attention rather than the truth, as is obvious from his constant press appearances and 1-800 number," the statement reads. "As we've said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false."
During his Oct. 1 press conference, Buzbee stood in front of a backdrop that featured the number of a hotline (1-800-200-7474) for people with allegations against Combs.
Combs' attorneys' statement concluded: "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor."
Doe's legal action comes after 11 accusers — also represented by Buzbee — leveled allegations of sexual assault and rape against Combs in court, including a woman who claims Combs raped her while attending an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in September 2000.
Combs, who was arrested in September and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, is being held at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his upcoming May 5 trial. He has maintained his innocence amid a slew of lawsuits over the past year accusing him of sex trafficking and assault; he has also pleaded not guilty to all federal criminal charges.
Man claims Sean 'Diddy' Combs drugged, raped him during childhood audition
Following his alleged audition for Combs, Doe was given a bottle of soda to drink, which made him feel "a little funny," according to the lawsuit. Buzbee alleges the drink was laced with drugs "including but not limited to GHB and/or ecstasy." GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, is sometimes known as a "date rape drug," per the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Combs then allegedly instructed the boy to move closer to him, after which he pushed the boy down "and said words to the effect of 'You have to do some stuff you don't want to do sometimes.'"
The "Hello Good Morning" emcee subsequently exposed his penis to Doe and told him to "kiss it," a request the boy refused, per Doe's complaint. Combs then allegedly forced Doe to perform oral sex. After losing consciousness from the alleged assault, Doe claims he woke up to find his pants were undone and that "his anus and buttocks hurt badly."
Doe alleges Combs threatened to hurt his parents if he were to report the alleged assault. He was taken back to his parents following the meeting, with his parents later noting that the boy was "lethargic and acting differently."
In the years since the alleged assault, Doe has suffered from "severe depression and anxiety, which leaves him hopeless and fatigued," the lawsuit reads.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs sexually assaulted 17-year-old 'Making the Band' contestant, man alleges
In a second lawsuit filed Monday, a man is alleging Combs sexually assaulted him during his audition for Combs' talent competition show "Making the Band."
The reality series franchise, which spawned acts such as Danity Kane and Day26, followed Combs' quest to form various musical groups. The man, identified as John Doe, allegedly participated in a three-day audition for the show around 2008, when he was 17.
During Doe's first interview with Combs, the hip-hop mogul allegedly asked the teen "hypothetical questions about handling situations involving sexual pressure."
"As Combs described these scenarios, he began to sexually assault (Doe) by touching (Doe) both over and under his clothing, including groping and fondling his penis and instructing (him) to undress," the lawsuit claims.
Combs, who allegedly "engaged in sexually explicit behavior" during the encounter, "emphasized his power to control (Doe's) future in the music industry, stating that he had the ability to 'make or break'" the teen performer's burgeoning career.
In another interview, Combs allegedly told the teen to undress for him, "explaining that (Doe) needed to demonstrate the ability to embody a 'sex idol' persona, which was purportedly required for the band's image,” according to the lawsuit. Doe claims he was later forced to perform oral sex on Combs and that the rapper also "sodomized" him.
Doe's time on the show came to an abrupt end on the final day of his audition, after Combs forced Doe to perform oral sex on his bodyguard, the complaint alleges. The man claims he was subsequently eliminated from the competition as Combs deemed he was "untrustworthy due to reservations to perform oral copulation on the bodyguard."
As a result of the alleged assaults, the lawsuit states Doe was "unable to return to the music industry for seven years" and continues to suffer from "mental and emotional anguish."
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy lawsuit: Rap mogul accused of raping, drugging 10-year-old boy