The rapper and business mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing another sexual assault lawsuit, the eighth in a series filed against him since November 2023.
Adria English, a former adult film actor, alleges that Combs groomed then coerced her into sexual intercourse with guests at parties he hosted, as well as making her consume alcohol and ecstasy.
Combs has denied the allegations. His lawyer Jonathan Davis said in a statement: “No matter how many lawsuits are filed it won’t change the fact that Mr Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth and Mr Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court.”
English’s lawsuit alleges that “Combs groomed Plaintiff into sex trafficking over time”, in events between 2004 and 2009.
She claims that she was employed to attend one of Combs’ “white parties” in 2004, an event which had “no sinister intent or requirements for physical sexual contact”, so she accepted invitations to further parties. But at the third event, Combs allegedly demanded she have sex with guests, “as they had learned about her past in adult entertainment and used it forcefully to coerce Plaintiff into sex work”. The lawsuit names a number of other individuals and companies as defendants.
Numerous other allegations of sexual assault have been made against Combs, beginning in November when his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, accused him of rape and physical abuse. That lawsuit was settled the following day, though Combs was forced to apologise after footage of him physically assaulting Cassie in 2016 was leaked in May.
Plaintiffs Joi Dickerson-Neal, Rodney Jones Jr, April Lampros and Crystal McKinney have each since filed lawsuits alleging sexual assault, along with two others from unnamed women. Combs has denied all of those allegations. Combs is also named in a lawsuit against his son Christian “King” Combs, described as a “lewd and meritless claim” by a lawyer for both men.
Combs was once one of the most successful rappers in the US, with a string of hit tracks including US No 1 singles Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down, I’ll Be Missing You and Shake Ya Tailfeather. His label Bad Boy Records was home to popular artists including Notorious BIG and Mase, and he had success with other business ventures such as clothing brand Sean John and vodka brand Cîroc.
But his reputation has been damaged since the allegations. In recent weeks New York mayor Eric Adams has demanded Combs return the ceremonial key to the city he was awarded in September 2023, while Howard University rescinded Combs’ honorary degree, discontinued a scholarship programme in his name and returned a $1m donation.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html