Sean “Diddy” Combs is being accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday. The allegations come just days after Diddy settled a different lawsuit accusing him of rape and abuse. According to the court documents obtained by PEOPLE, a woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal is accusing Diddy, 54, of drugging and raping her when she was a college student at Syracuse University in 1991. Attorneys for Dickerson-Neal claim she was the victim of “revenge porn” after the music mogul allegedly recorded the incident and shared the tape with others in the music industry.
Diddy is denying the allegations, claiming Dickerson-Neal fabricated the story. “This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head. 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,” a spokesperson for the rapper wrote in a statement to PEOPLE.
According to the complaint, Dickerson-Neal knew Diddy through mutual friends and appearing alongside him in a music video. Dickerson-Neal’s lawyer, Jonathan Goldhirsh, said in a press release sent to PEOPLE that the victim had already heard of Diddy’s alleged “mistreatment of women” at the time that she met him, and was cautious around him.
When they went on a date, which Dickerson-Neal claims she “reluctantly” agreed to, she says she was drugged after leaving her drink at the table with Diddy and soon “couldn’t independently stand or walk.”
“Days later, a male friend revealed to her that he had viewed the ‘sex tape’ along with other men,” the documents allege. “Horrified, Ms. Dickerson asked how many others saw it, to which he responded, ‘everyone.’”
Dickerson-Neal claims the assault led to a decline in her mental health, causing her to drop out of college and never receive her degree.
“We are privileged to assist our client, Ms. Dickerson-Neal, as she courageously steps forward in an effort to hold Mr. Combs to account,” said her attorney Michelle Caiola, partner at Phillips & Associates, PLLC. Caiola added, “Everyone deserves to be heard and Combs should not be immune from liability because of his wealth and public stature.”
In addition to Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records and Combs Enterprises are also listed as defendants in the suit.
The filing comes just one day before the New York Adult Survivors Act expires on Friday. This law allowed adult sexual assault survivors to file a lawsuit a year after the statute of limitations expired.
“Our client has not been able to escape the continuing impact of the harm Combs caused her many years ago. Through the Adult Survivors Act, she can avail herself to the courts to finally seek justice,” Goldhirsch said.
Earlier this week, Diddy and Casandra “Cassie” Ventura reached a settlement just one day after the singer filed a lawsuit against him for rape, sex trafficking, domestic violence and more in New York.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said, “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so.”
Combs added, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
In other news – Terry Richardson hit with second s.e.x.ual assault lawsuit
Another woman is coming forward, accusing fashion photographer Terry Richardson of sexual assault before the New York State Adult Survivors Act expires after Thanksgiving. Caron Bernstein, a former actress and model, filed a lawsuit Thursday at the eleventh hour against Richardson in the New York Supreme Court, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
Bernstein alleges that in 2003 she was “lured” to Richardson’s studio with a work offer. Instead of both parties engaging in a professional photo shoot, the photographer “sexually assaulted (her), without her express or implied consent, by holding Bernstein’s head and forcing Richardson’s erect penis into and out of (her) mouth repeatedly and then ejaculating (his) semen on (her) neck, chest, and breasts,” the suit claims. Read More
