Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal troubles are far from over.
The rap mogul and alcohol entrepreneur faces new allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking in a new lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint is the ninth sexual assault lawsuit filed against the rapper since last November, when his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit in which she described being abused by Combs.
Adria English, an adult film actress who says she worked for Combs from 2004 to 2009, accuses the rapper of running and participating in a RICO operation, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sex trafficking, according to legal documents reviewed by The Times. The 114-page complaint lays out more than 30 allegations against Combs, several of his business ventures, the celebrity jeweler Jacob “Jacob the Jeweler” Arabo, a woman who allegedly facilitated the rapper’s sex trafficking and two media companies, as well as unnamed individuals.
“No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it will not change the fact that Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex-trafficked anyone,” Jonathan Davis, Combs’ attorney, told The Times in a statement. “We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any evidence. Fortunately, there is a fair and impartial judicial process to find the truth and Combs is confident that he will prevail against these and other baseless allegations in court.”
In the suit, English details her account of working at several high-profile “white parties” that Combs hosted at his New York and Florida residences, where she alleges she was “demanded” to have sex with guests, including Arabo. English accuses Combs of forcing her to have sex with Arabo in 2007, and notes in the suit that refusing the hip-hop star’s “demands” was “not an option.”
A representative for Arabo did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment.
English accuses Combs of threatening to “blacklist” her [her] In 2009, English left New York and returned to California, where she currently resides. The lawsuit says that was the “only way for her to escape” from Combs.
English filed her complaint months after agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted searches at Combs' mansions in Holmby Hills and Miami in March as part of a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving Combs. It's unclear whether English's allegations are related to that investigation. TMZ reported Wednesday that Combs is seeking to sell that Holmby Hills mansion for $70 million.
In addition to Combs and the companies and individuals who allegedly participated in and facilitated her white parties, English is suing the music magazine Vibe and its owner, Penske Media Corp. She alleges the media companies provided Combs with the resources to host her parties, inflicted emotional distress on her related to alleged sex trafficking, and publicized her image in a November 2006 issue of the magazine about the parties.
English is seeking damages that include Vibe and PMC's profits from the November 2006 issue, legal fees, losses and “further legal and equitable relief as deemed appropriate.” He wants a jury trial.
