December 6, 2023: A woman accuses Combs and 2 other men of raping her when she was 17.
The woman, who also filed the suit anonymously, alleged that Combs, his longtime producing partner Harve Pierre, and an unnamed third man “sex trafficked and gang raped” her in 2003 when she was 17, according to prior reporting by BI.
The lawsuit said Pierre flew the women to Combs’ studio in New York, where they gave her drugs and alcohol until she was too inebriated to consent.
“While at the studio, Ms. Doe was gang raped by Mr. Combs, the Third Assailant and Mr. Pierre, in that order,” the suit says. The suit also included photos of the accuser, with her face blurred, in the New York studio.
Combs denied the allegation on Instagram and declared he was going to “fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
“For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he said. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday.”
Pierre didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
On February 20, 2024, Rolling Stone reported that Combs, Pierre, and Combs’ company, Bad Boy Entertainment, filed a response to the lawsuit. Combs’ lawyers refuted the allegation and questioned the accuracy of the photographs.
“(Combs) never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever,” the filing says, per Rolling Stone.
Combs’ lawyers also said the suit should be thrown out because they believe an amendment to the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act, which allowed the unnamed woman to sue Combs, is unconstitutional.
The 2022 amendment removes the statute of limitations for gender-based violence cases for two years, similar to the Adult Survivors Act.
Pierre also denied participating in any sexual assault when he filed his defense. Bad Boy Entertainment motioned to dismiss the suit against them, arguing there is no basis that the Gender-Motivated Violence Act expands to corporate defendants.
