Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been the subject of seven new lawsuits. One alleges rape by a girl aged 13 years old. His lawyers were trying to free him on bail again Monday, complaining that a ‘fresh wave of publicity’ was threatening his right to an impartial criminal trial.
Four men and three anonymous women allege sexual assaults by Combs in the lawsuits filed on Sunday before state and federal courts.
Combs has pleaded no contest to federal charges of sex trafficking contained in an unveiled indictment the day following his arrest on Sept. 16. Combs is accused of coercing and abusing women for many years with the help of associates and staff, and of using violence to silence victims, including blackmail, arson, and physical abuse.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has heard an appeal from two judges who denied him bail. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Combs’ lawyers asked a court Sunday to order witnesses and their attorneys to cease making statements that could interfere with a fair trial.
They wrote: “As is well known to the Court, Mr. Combs’s character has been attacked in the media by a never-ending stream of allegations made by potential witnesses and their lawyers.” These prospective witnesses and lawyers have made a number of inflammatory extrajudicial comments aimed at assassinating the character of Mr. Combs in the media.
Lawyers claim that more than 100 accusers are planning to sue Combs. Tony Buzbee, the plaintiffs’ attorney, announced at a news conference on Oct. 1, that he planned to file a lawsuit and provided a 1-800 phone number for accusers.
Combs representatives have dismissed the lawsuits again as “clear publicity attempts”. They added that Combs and his team “have complete confidence in their legal defenses and the integrity and fairness of the judicial system.”
Combs, they said, “has never sexually abused anyone — adult or child, man or woman.”
In one of the lawsuits, a 13-year-old girl was raped in Manhattan by “Celebrity A” (a male celebrity) and Combs while “Celebrity B” (a female celebrity) watched.
Combs was accused of sexually assaulting a male 17-year-old at a penthouse party held in a Manhattan hotel in 2022.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuits claimed that they believed they had been given drinks laced before the assault.
Lawyers for Combs told the 2nd Circuit on Monday that they will renew Combs’ bail application in the lower court due to “significant changes in circumstances”. They said this includes “constitutional issues arising from his conditions and evidence in the recently produced discovery.”
In a document filed last week, prosecutors informed the court of appeals that Combs had been denied bail because evidence showed he “used sophisticated and methodical means to intimidate and silence witnesses during the racketeering conspiracies and the Government’s investigations.”
