A Guide to the Many Lawsuits Against Diddy

RODNEY JONES V. SEAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

Rodney “Lil Rod’ Jones Jr., a record producer from Chicago, filed a 105-page federal complaint against Combs accusing him and the people who work with him of being part of an illegal racketeering enterprise. Jones alleges in his complaint that he has “irrefutable evidence of: (a) the acquisition, use, and distribution of ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, and mushrooms; (b) the displaying and distribution of unregistered illegal firearms; and (c) the solicitation of minors and sex workers.”

According to Jones, as he alleges in the complaint, Combs reached out to Jones in 2022 to help him produce songs, but Jones claims the work Combs required of him went far beyond producing music. He claims in the lawsuit that he was tasked with procuring drugs and soliciting sex workers to “perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs.” Jones alleges that Combs also required him to tape these sex acts and that Combs would “often threaten to inflict bodily harm” on him if he did not comply with his demands. Jones alleged in his complaint that Combs kept “specific bottles of alcohol designated for females” on hand and, “according to Mr. Jones, Mr. Combs forced all the women to drink laced DeLeon liquor. Upon information and belief, Mr. Combs laced the liquor with ecstasy,” the lawsuit claims. He also accuses Combs of sexual harassment and assault for allegedly grabbing him without his consent and forcing him to work while Combs paraded around naked. Jones also alleges that Combs once left him alone in a makeshift studio on a yacht with Cuba Gooding Jr., who he said then began “touching, groping, and fondling” his upper thighs near his groin. He said Gooding did not stop until he forcibly pushed him away.

When was it filed?

February 2, 2024, in Manhattan’s federal court.

What’s the status?

Ongoing. Jones’s lawyer has accused Combs of “harassing behavior,” including “manufacturing stories about Plaintiff on TMZ and dispatching his agents to harass Plaintiff’s 8-year-old daughter, the mother of his child, and ex-spouses, all of whom have expressed fear of potential harm by Defendant Combs.” Jones’s attorney told Judge J. Paul Oetken, who is overseeing the case, that an additional police report had been filed on March 3. Jones is asking the court for a jury trial.

What was Combs’s response?

When reached out to for comment, Combs’s attorney Shawn Holley provided a near-identical statement he provided to The New York Times on February 26, 2024. “Mr. Jones is nothing more than a con man, shamelessly looking for an easy and wholly undeserved payday,” it said. “We have indisputable, incontrovertible proof that his claims are complete fabrications. Our attempts to share this proof with Mr. Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn has refused to return our calls. We look forward to addressing these ridiculous claims in court and intend to take all appropriate action against all who are attempting to peddle them.”

JANE DOE V. SEAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

Doe alleges that she was gang-raped and sex trafficked by Combs and former president of Bad Boys Records Harve Pierre when she was only 17 and in the 11th grade. She alleges she met Pierre in a lounge in Detroit and he told her he was “best friends” with Combs. Doe claims Combs convinced her to accompany Pierre and a third assailant on a private jet to come to his studio in New York City. She claims she agreed and boarded a jet that flew to Teterboro, New Jersey, and was taken to Combs’s studio. She alleges that, once there, Combs and his associates, including Pierre, plied her with drugs and alcohol and alleges she was subsequently “gang-raped” at the studio by Combs, Pierre, and a third assailant. Her complaint states that “while Mr. Combs was raping Ms. Doe, he complained that he could not ‘get off” unless she pinched his nipples as hard as she could” and that Combs then allegedly watched as the third assailant raped her while she told him to stop. “After Third Assailant was finished, Mr. Pierre took his turn at raping Ms. Doe and then violently forced her to give him oral sex, during which Ms. Doe was choking and struggling to breathe,” according to the complaint.

When was it filed?

December 2, 2023, in federal court in Manhattan.

What’s the status?

Ongoing. Combs and Pierre have denied the allegations against them in this case. Combs’s attorneys have asked the judge to dismiss the entire case and says Combs was a victim of the “cancel culture” frenzy in the courts. The victim has been attempting to remain anonymous. Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke, overseeing the case, has so far denied the woman’s request to continue to remain anonymous but has stayed that ruling until she makes a decision on Combs’s motion to dismiss. The judge has given the woman until March 29 to file a response to Combs’s dismissal motion.

What was Combs’s response?

Combs posted a statement on December 6, 2023, addressing the lawsuit. “Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he said. “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.” Pierre also released a statement vehemently denying the accusations: “This is a tale of fiction,” he said. “I have never participated in, witnessed, nor heard of anything like this, ever. These disgusting allegations are false and a desperate attempt for financial gain. I will vigorously protect my reputation and defend my name. Those who know me recognize that these claims are not true.”

CASSANDRA ‘CASSIE’ VENTURA V. SEAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

Cassie’s 35-page federal complaint accused Combs of sexual assault, battery, and sex trafficking and of requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts. According to her complaint, Combs signed Cassie to his label when she was 19 and he was 37. She claimed he was physically abusive throughout their relationship. “Mr. Combs asserted complete control over Ms. Ventura’s personal and professional life, thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold.” She also claimed he demanded she carry a firearm for him in her purse, and forced her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers, according to her complaint. She claimed that Combs’s staff and Bad Boy Entertainment employees were aware of the abuse. Ultimately she left her “long-time abuser” in 2018 after the alleged rape. She continues to struggle with intense emotional distress, she said in her court papers.

When was it filed?

November 16, 2023, in Manhattan’s federal court.

What’s the status?

Cassie and Combs mutually agreed to settle the case on November 17, 2023. Four days after filing her lawsuit, Cassie asked the court to dismiss her entire case “with prejudice,” which meant that her claims could not be filed again.

LIZA GARDNER V. SEAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

Gardner filed a 22-page lawsuit accusing Combs and Aaron Hall of forcing her to have sex with them against her will when she was only 16. Garner claims she met Combs and Hall in New York at an event for the album release for Jodeci. After a dinner for the event, Combs allegedly invited Gardner and her friend to Hall’s apartment for an after-party. She alleged it was there that Combs “coerced” her into having sex with him, and while she was getting dressed after that Hall barged into the room, pinned her down, and allegedly forced her to have sex with him. Gardner claims that she had immense pain vaginally afterward. She said she fled the apartment and later learned that her friend also allegedly had sex with both Combs and Hall. The day after the assault, Gardner alleged that Combs came to her home and began “assaulting and choking” her to the point that she passed out. Gardner’s complaint states that since “being violently and statutorily raped by Combs and Aaron Hall, Ms. Gardner’s life has been overwhelmed by depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and strained relationship with men” and has asked the court for a jury trial.

When was it filed?

November 23, 2023, in New York Supreme Court one day before the deadline ended to file cases under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The act gave victims one year to bring civil complaints for sexual offenses that had previously been barred by the statute of limitations.

What’s the status?

Ongoing. Both Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall, who was also named in the suit, were served with copies of the complaint against them on March 23, 2024.

What was Combs’s response?

Combs’s representative issued a statement after the lawsuit was originally filed calling the claims “fabricated” and “bogus” and the case a “money grab.” Vulture reached out to Hall for comment but did not hear back.

JOI DICKERSON-NEAL V. SEAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

In her 22-page complaint, Dickerson alleges that she met Combs after she had appeared in a music video with him while she was a student at Syracuse University. She claims she later agreed to go out to dinner with him on January 3, 1991, while on school break. During their date, Dickerson alleged that Combs intentionally drugged her. She accused Combs of sexually assaulting her and video recording the sexual assault, according to her complaint. Days later, a male friend allegedly revealed to her that he along with other men had viewed the “sex tape.” She asked her friend who had seen the tape and her friend allegedly told her “everyone.” Dickerson claims from that point her life went into a “tailspin,” and after returning to college she had to be admitted to the hospital for severe depression and suicidal ideation.

Dickerson claims she has “suffered a lifetime of injuries from being drugged, sexually assaulted and abused, and being the victim of “‘revenge porn’ that Sean Combs, or ‘P. Diddy,’ created and distributed.” She is suing him for assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, human trafficking, and revenge porn.

When was it filed?

November 23, 2023, in New York Supreme Court, which was one day before the cut off for civil cases for past sexual offenses under New York’s Adult Survivors Act.

What’s the status?

Ongoing. On March 1, 2024, Dickerson’s attorneys filed papers giving Combs until April 12, 2024, to respond in court to her complaint.

What was Combs’s response?

Through a spokesperson, Combs “denied and rejected the claims of misconduct.” “He recognizes this as a money grab,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Because of Mr. Combs’ fame and success, he is an easy target for accusers who will falsify the truth, without conscience or consequence, for financial benefit. The New York Legislature surely did not intend or expect the Adult Survivors Act to be exploited for improper purposes. The public should be skeptical and not rush to accept these unsubstantiated allegations.”

GRACE O’MARCAIGH V. CHRISTIAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

Sean Combs’s 26-year-old son Christian “King” Combs is being sued for sexual assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other allegations.

The 31-page lawsuit brought by Grace O’Marcaigh claims that she was sexually assaulted while working as a yacht deckhand for the family during Christmas break in 2022 in the Caribbean. She is also asking that Sean “Diddy” Combs be held liable for his son’s actions for charting the yacht assuming responsibility for his guests throughout the Caribbean trip.

O’Marcaigh alleges that there was “a constant rotation of suspected sex workers and other A-List celebrities such as French Montana and actor Cuba Gooding Jr.” on the yacht. O’Marcaigh alleges “sex workers were sprawled out unconscious about that yacht and it was difficult to distinguish which bottles of alcohol were laced with drugs and which bottles were not.” In the early morning of December 28, 2022, a “heavily intoxicated” Christian Combs physically assaulted her, according to her complaint. She alleges that Christian blocked her from leaving, took off all his clothes, and tried to force her to “perform oral copulation” on him. O’Marcaigh is suing Diddy, blaming him for fostering an “environment of debauchery” filled with suspected sex workers, violence, alcohol allegedly laced with drugs, and “disrespect” for crew.

When was it filed?

April 4, 2024, in Los Angeles Superior Court.

What’s the status?

Ongoing.

What was Combs’s response?

Aaron Dyer, an attorney for the father-son duo, called the lawsuit’s claims “lewd and meritless.” “This complaint is filled with the same kind of manufactured lies and irrelevant facts we’ve come to expect from Blackburn,” he said, referring to the lawyer also representing Rodney Jones. “This is exactly why the federal judge in New York slapped him two days ago for a ‘pattern of behavior’ in ‘improperly [filing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly,’ and why he was referred to the disciplinary committee in the Southern District of New York. We will be filing a motion to dismiss this outrageous claim.”

CRYSTAL MCKINNEY V. SEAN COMBS

What does the lawsuit say?

McKinney says she met Combs when she was a 22-year-old model and a designer flew her into New York City to attend a Fashion Week event at Cipriani. The unnamed designer handpicked her clothes — a black leather coat, a translucent chiffon beige V-cut shirt — which McKinney says she has kept unwashed in plastic wrap after the “traumatic events.” McKinney alleges Combs told her that he had power in the industry and was going to help her advance her career. Later that same night, McKinney alleges she met Combs at a studio where he gave her a laced joint, plied her with alcohol, followed her to the bathroom, and forced her to perform oral sex on him.After the alleged assault, McKinney believes Combs “blackballed” her in the modeling industry. She’s since suffered depression and even attempted suicide.

When was it filed?

May 21 in federal court in Manhattan.

What’s the status?

Ongoing.

What’s Combs’s response?

Representatives for Combs have not yet responded to requests for comment.