A lawyer has claimed he is representing 120 people who have come forward with sexual assault allegations levelled at Sean “Diddy“ Combs.
Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee said on Tuesday he expected lawsuits would be filed within the next month in New York and Los Angeles.
He said the victims included 60 males and 60 females, and that 25 were minors at the time of the alleged misconduct. He added that one of the individuals claimed he was just nine years old at the time of his assault.
“This type of sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation should never happen in the United States or anywhere else,” Buzbee said at a news conference. “This should have never been allowed to go on for so long. This conduct has created a mass of individuals who are injured, scared and scarred.”
Following the announcement in Texas, a lawyer for Combs, Erica Wolff, said the performer ”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,” Wolff added.
“He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Some cases passed to FBI
Buzbee said more than 3,280 individuals contacted his firm and alleged they were assaulted in different ways by Combs.
After vetting the allegations, Buzbee explained his firm decided to represent 120 people.
Other cases are still being reviewed. He said some of his clients have spoken with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The individuals that Buzbee’s firm is representing are from more than 25 states, with the majority from California, New York, Georgia and Florida.
The alleged abuse took place mostly at parties held in New York, California and Florida where individuals were given drinks that were laced with drugs, Buzbee said.
Other instances reportedly unfolded at auditions where “many times – especially young people, people wanting to break into the industry – were coerced into this type of conduct in the promise of being made a star”, Buzbee said.
‘Wall of silence has now been broken’
Last month, Combs, 54, was arrested at a hotel in New York City after a grand jury indicted him on sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The charges against him were initially sealed, but the 14-page indictment was ultimately released on September 17, when Combs pleaded not guilty in a federal court in New York City.
Combs is one of the best-known music executives, producers and performers in hip-hop, having won three Grammys and worked with artists across the musical spectrum.
“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry, that really wasn’t a secret at all, has finally been revealed to the world,” Buzbee said on Tuesday. “The wall of silence has now been broken.”
Buzbee has also represented women who accused National Football League (NFL) quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and misconduct.
The lawyer said he planned to identify more suspects, “other than Sean Combs“.
“The names that we’re going to name, assuming our investigators confirm and corroborate what we’ve been told, are names that will shock you,” he added.
“I’m talking here about not just the cowardly but complicit bystanders. That is, those people that we know watched this behaviour occur and did nothing.”