Topline
A lawsuit filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs that describes so-called “sex-trafficking parties” thrown by the artist includes a name-drop of Prince Harry—but does not allege the British royal played any role in any illegal activities, despite the widespread coverage of the suit linking him to Combs.
Key Facts
Music Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones last month filed a $30 million lawsuit in U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York and accused Combs of sexually harassing him, drugging attendees to his house parties and running a “sex-trafficking venture” that was largely ignored by others in the music industry.
Jones’ lawsuit claims those who were affiliated with or sponsored Combs’ parties benefited in a number of ways, including through business referrals and by potentially being introduced to up-and-coming artists, athletes, political figures and international dignitaries like Prince Harry.
The complaint alleges Combs would throw parties where he, his son and his employees would recruit women and underage girls to perform sex acts for money “through the means of force, threats of force, fraud, abuse of process and coercion.”
Prince Harry is not accused of any wrongdoing or illegal behavior in the lawsuit and the complaint does not say that the British royal personally attended any of the “sex-trafficking parties” thrown by Combs—the complaint instead only implies that Combs knows the prince, and could have theoretically used him as a business connection.
After Jones filed the suit, many tabloid news outlets used headlines that suggested the prince was connected to the scandal, and online search interest for queries linking the two stars has surged more than 5,000% in the last week.
Combs has repeatedly denied sex trafficking claims against him and an attorney for the rapper, Shawn Holley, told the Los Angeles Times in February that the Lil Rod suit includes “reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen.”
Key Background
Lawsuits accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault, rape and sex trafficking have been filed in courts nationwide in the last several months. On Monday, his homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Federal Homeland Security Investigations, searches multiple outlets reported were related to an ongoing investigation into the sex trafficking claims made against the star and business mogul. In November, singer Casandra Ventura claimed she was raped by the artist in 2018 and said that he forced her into multiple “unwanted sexual encounters with male sex workers.” The lawsuit claims Combs took Ventura to hotels across the country and forced her to perform sex acts while he recorded them against her will. The lawsuit was settled the next day for an undisclosed amount, and an attorney for Combs at the time said the rapper “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations” and accused Ventura of “seeking a payday.” Several other sexual misconduct lawsuits followed, including a November claim from a woman who said she was drugged and assaulted by Combs in 1991 and a separate suit that accused him and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall of raping a woman and her friend in the 1990s. Combs has repeatedly denied all of the allegations against him and an attorney on Tuesday said Combs’ is the subject of a “witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
Crucial Quote
“Enough is enough,” Combs wrote in an Instagram post in December. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
Tangent
On Monday a poster for what appeared to be a Netflix documentary into the claims against Combs titled “Diddy Do It?” began to circulate on social meda. The creator of the poster, artist Kode Abdo, and the streamer on Wednesday confirmed to Forbes that the poster was a parody and no such film exists. The poster was shared on X by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who last year confirmed his production company will produce a film on the Combs saga. G-Unit Film & Television has not released a title or any other specifics on the project but did say proceeds will be donated to victims of sexual assault.
