Diddy has spoken out for the first time following a new lawsuit alleging he participated in gang rape of a minor.
In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, December 6th, the music mogul called the allegations “sickening” and “absolutely false.” He declared his innocence and vowed to fight for his name and reputation.
“For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” Diddy wrote. “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,” he continued. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
The new lawsuit, filed on December 5th, accuses Diddy and two other men of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in 2003. The alleged victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, claims she was giving “copious amounts” of drugs and alcohol, and was forced to perform oral sex on Diddy, former Bad Boy Entertainment President Harve Pierre, and a third man before being raped repeatedly in a bathroom.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Wigdor, claimed that his client was a victim of sex trafficking by Diddy to other men.
“As alleged in the complaint, Defendants preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang raped by the three individual defendants at Mr. Combs’ studio. The depravity of these abhorrent acts has, not surprisingly, scarred our client for life,” the lawyer said.
The woman claims she had been suffering in silence but became empowered to speak out after after seeing other victims file suits against Diddy.
“Seeing two other women bravely speak out against Mr. Combs and Mr. Pierre, respectively, gave Ms. Doe the confidence to tell her story as well,” the lawsuit read.”
Diddy’s attorneys have denied the allegations and have vowed to vigorously defend their client in court. The lawsuit is just one of several sexual assault allegations that have been made against Diddy in recent months.
Following the barrage of lawsuits, Diddy was forced to step down as chairman of Revolt, the music-themed TV network he founded in 2013.
Previously, Pierre had been sued for grooming and sexually assaulting his assistant. The lawsuit states Pierre’s allegations by his assistant occurred “on multiple occasions in New York City and other locations throughout the country” and “used his position of authority as plaintiff’s boss to groom, exploit, and sexually assault her.”
The assistant now seeks damages that will “fully and fairly compensate” the assault. Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records, and Combs Enterprises are listed in the suit.
“We have recently become aware of a lawsuit filed in New York by a former employee,” a spokesperson for Bad Boy Records said to Rolling Stone. “The allegations are from many years ago that were never brought to the attention of the company. Neither the plaintiff nor the executive are current employees of the company. We are now investigating the allegations, and our top priority is the safety and well-being of our employees.”
