Two weeks after Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee said he would soon be representing at least 120 accusers against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the attorney filed his first six sexual assault complaints on Monday — including one from a man who claims he was a teen at the time of his encounter with the music mogul.
All six lawsuits, which were obtained by TheWrap, were filed in the Southern District of New York per the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, with the allegations stemming from between 1995 and 2021. Buzbee is representing four John Does and two Jane Does in these cases.
One of the four anonymous male victims claims he was 16 years old when he was sexually assaulted at one of Combs’ White Parties in the Hamptons in 1998.
According to the then-teenage victim, he was invited to the party at Combs’ mansion by a mutual friend, where he bumped into the rapper (an apparent picture of the pair from the event in question is included in the legal documents). “Combs took an interest in John Doe” and they engaged in pleasant conversation about the entertainment industry, per the lawsuit.
“When John Doe admitted his voice was not great, Combs assured him that did not matter. Combs made clear that the only thing that mattered was having the right look for the industry, and with it, Combs could transform Doe — or anybody — into a star.”
However, “Combs abruptly told John Doe that he needed to drop his pants. John Doe, caught completely off guard, confusingly asked Combs to repeat himself. Combs made himself clear. He instructed John Doe to drop his pants and expose his penis so that Combs could inspect it, explaining it was a rite of passage and the route to becoming a star, and also as a way to prove himself,” the suit alleges.
“Out of fear, anxiety and the imbalanced power dynamic between himself and Combs, John Doe then dropped his pants and exposed his penis as Combs previously instructed,” it continues. “Combs moved closer and grabbed John Doe’s penis and genitals with his hand. He firmly cupped and held onto John Doe’s genitals for an extended period of time.
During this time, Combs moved his hand in such a fashion to manipulate John Doe’s genitals, squeezing and feeling them … Combs abruptly then let go of John Doe’s genitals and told him that his people would be in touch. Combs continued with his party as if nothing had happened, but for John Doe, everything had changed.”
“We will let the allegations in the filed complaints speak for themselves and will work to see that justice is done,” Buzbee shared in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We expect to be filing many more cases over the next several weeks naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare the filings.”
Meanwhile, Diddy’s attorney Erica Wolff issued the following statement to TMZ following Buzbee’s initial press conference: “As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus. That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.
Mr. Buzbee has not yet filed a single case in any jurisdiction. Mr. Combs looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”