Diddy: Why He Believes His Sexual Assault Lawsuit Should Be Dismissed
Diddy, born Sean Combs, has been accused of sexually assaulting Joi Dickerson-Neal in the early 1990s. The music mogul believes that some of this sexual assault lawsuit should be dismissed because some claims Dickerson-Neal has in her suit were not laws when the alleged incident happened, per the Associated Press. Combs’ attorneys filed a motion on Friday (April 26) denying Dickerson-Neal’s citing of human trafficking and revenge porn in her suit.
In the alleged 1991 incident, Dickerson-Neal claims that Diddy “intentionally drugged” her, sexually assaulted her, and videotaped the alleged assault, which he showed to people in the music industry. At the time, Dickerson-Neal was a 19-year-old college student. Diddy has denied the allegations and accused Dickerson-Neal of taking advantage of the New York law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases. His attorneys said that there were “numerous false, offensive, and salacious accusations” in the lawsuit.
“This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law [New York State’s Adult Survivors Act] can be turned on its head,” Diddy said through a spokesperson. “Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
Former Diddy Employee Files Sexual Assault Lawsuit
This is not the only sexual assault lawsuit that has been filed against Diddy. In February, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a former producer and videographer for the rap mogul, is accusing Diddy of sexually harassing, drugging, and threatening him, according to People. The alleged abuse lasted for more than a year. The producer is seeking $30 million in damages. He is being represented by Tyron Blackburn.
Combs’ son Justin, chief of staff Kristina Khorram, Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam have also been named as defendants according to legal documents obtained by the publication. However, Habtemariam has been recently dropped from Lil Rod’s case due to alleged knowledge of the illegal drugs that were in the beverages at his parties.
“I am informed and believe that Mr. Blackburn has falsely represented to various social media sites and other media outlets that I agreed to ‘testify against’ Mr. Combs,” Habtemariam shared in a statement per AllHipHop. “This is completely untrue. I have no personal knowledge of any alleged wrongdoing by Mr. Combs and there is nothing I could testify to that would be against his interest.
“Being falsely accused of criminal conduct is deeply upsetting to me. I did no wrong,” she said. “I never saw or participated in any alleged racketeering enterprise, and I never saw, aided or, abetted, or tried to conceal any sex trafficking activity. In short, there is no basis for any of the claims asserted against me, and I should never have been named a defendant in this lawsuit.”
She concluded: “My counsel provided a revised declaration that addressed the topics that Mr. Blackburn addressed and corrected his false narrative. I am aware that Mr. Blackburn found my truthful version to be unsatisfactory to him and he presented yet another version that again presented a false narrative.”
A judge has not made a decision in either case at this time.
