LOS ANGELES (AP) — On Tuesday, a woman filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing the music mogul and his head of security of raping her and filming the assault at his New York recording studio in 2001.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, is the latest in a series of legal actions against Combs and follows his recent arrest and the unsealing of a federal sex trafficking indictment.
Thalia Graves, the plaintiff, claims that in the summer of 2001, when she was 25 and dating a Combs employee, the music mogul and his security chief, Joseph Sherman, lured her to a meeting at Bad Boy Recording Studios. She alleges that during the ride, they gave her a drink likely spiked with drugs.
Graves says she lost consciousness and woke up to find herself tied up in Combs’ office. According to the lawsuit, both men sexually assaulted her, slapped her, and slammed her head against a pool table, ignoring her cries for help.
At a press conference in Los Angeles alongside her attorney Gloria Allred, Graves spoke about her trauma, stating she has experienced “flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts” for years. She emotionally described the long-term impact, saying it has made it difficult for her to trust others and build healthy relationships.
Graves’ lawsuit is filed under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, taking advantage of a two-year window allowing victims of past sexual assaults to bring forward claims.
According to the lawsuit, Graves later learned through her ex-boyfriend that Combs had recorded the assault and distributed it as pornography. The lawsuit also alleges that Combs and Sherman threatened her multiple times over the years to keep her from speaking out.
Combs is currently in custody in New York, facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney maintains his innocence. Combs’ representatives have not commented on the latest lawsuit, and it remains unclear if Sherman has separate legal representation.
Graves’ lawsuit seeks damages and demands that all copies of the alleged video be located and destroyed. Several companies owned by Combs are also named as defendants.
