Sean John Combs (P. Diddy)—a U.S. American rapper, record producer and record executive—has had several name changes over the years. However, his most recent name change has caused quite a stir in the media. P. Diddy won Grammy awards, discovered and developed other successful musical artists, launched a clothing retailer, produced TV shows and co-founded a television network. With an estimated net worth of $1 billion, P. Diddy is one of the wealthiest musical artists in the world.
One could say that his wealth gave him a false sense of power and entitlement, leading to the countless lawsuits and the criminal charges he is currently facing. However, P. Diddy’s involvement started long before he became one of the rich and famous. In fact, he has been involved in legal issues his entire career, starting with assault charges in 1999, weapons violations also in 1999, and charges of aggravated assault in 2015.
Anger management and respect for others, especially women and minors, have never been one of P. Diddy’s strengths.
Civil Complaints
Unsurprisingly, P. Diddy’s actions finally came to a head when lawsuits were filed against him for physical abuse, sexual harassment, rape, sex trafficking, and other related causes of action, starting in 2017 when his former personal chef filed suit against him in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. In 2023, his former romantic partner, Cassie Ventura, filed suit against him for rape and years of abuse. Like many wealthy sexual assailants, he was able to settle both suits for an undisclosed amount. These settlements, of course, contained non-disclosure agreements preventing the victims from discussing the terms of the settlement.
P. Diddy was finally forced to come clean and acknowledge his actions when CNN released surveillance footage of him assaulting Ventura at a hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. In his later apology video, P. Diddy said that he was “disgusted” by what he did to Ventura, although there may be reason to doubt the sincerity of his remorse. Without minimizing his assault on Ms. Ventura, his actions toward hundreds of other victims, including women and minors, were far, far worse. If his indictment is to be believed, he raped, tortured and assaulted hundreds of women and minors—only his assault on Ms. Ventura was captured on camera.
On October 1, 2024, the Washington Post reported that other victims had come forward and will file as many as 120 lawsuits against the rapper. The allegations against him span a period of more than twenty years, and include claims of physical and sexual assault, drugging his victims, and offering hush money to prevent them from telling anyone about his actions.
Since then, more than a dozen of these lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. One of these lawsuits alleges that P. Diddy and his staff regularly invited members of the public to events, such as music video shoots, photoshoots, or autograph signings. He would then select and invite women and minors to join him for a more exclusive party at other locations, including at his mansions or at hotels. Once at these parties, P. Diddy’s staff would take their victims to a separate room where P. Diddy would be waiting for them, urge them to take drugs and sexually assault them.
In at least one complaint, the victim, who was 19 years old at the time of the incident, alleges that P. Diddy threatened to have her killed if she did not do what he said. In another complaint, P. Diddy’s staff invited a 13-year-old victim to a private party after the 2000 Video Music Awards in New York City, telling the girl that P. Diddy liked younger girls and that she “fit what Diddy was looking for”. He then drove her to P. Diddy’s mansion where she was told to sign a non-disclosure agreement upon arrival. Once inside, she recognized many celebrities in the living room. At the party, the victim accepted a drink and promptly felt lightheaded and found a bed to lie down on. P. Diddy then entered the room alongside two other celebrities and sexually assaulted her.
The details in all these cases are horrendous and caused severe physical and psychological damage to the victims.
The lawsuits all allege violations of the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMVA). The GMVA provides a civil cause of action for victims of sexual assaults and other sex crimes and applies exclusively to the five boroughs of New York City.[1] It was enacted as a result of the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598 (2000) which highlighted the need for legislative action to protect victims of gender-based violence.
[1] Other states have also enacted similar legislation to provide civil remedies for victims of gender-motivated violence, such as California’s Gender Violence Act, Civil Code § 52.4, the D.C. Victims of Gender-Based Violence Act, D.C. Code § 14-303, and the Texas Civil Remedy for Gender-Based Violence Act, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 123.001, just to name a few.
In Morrison, the Supreme Court ruled that parts of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 were unconstitutional because they overstepped the federal government’s authority under the Commerce Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment. Specifically, the Court struck down a provision which allowed victims of gender-motivated violence to sue their perpetrators in federal court under a civil remedy for damages.
The GMVA is an important piece of legislation which endeavors to make it easier for victims to come forward and seek justice, by providing legal protection and support services. It recognizes gender-motivated violence as any act of violence, whether physical, sexual, or psychological, that is committed against an individual based on their gender or gender identity. See GMVA, § 10-1103. As such, the GMVA encompasses a broad spectrum of gender-based violence. It also extends beyond individual perpetrators and allows victims to file claims against any individual or institution that played a role in enabling or covering up the abuse and recover compensatory damages, punitive damages, and exemplary damages. See GMVA, § 10-1104. Victims can also seek injunctive relief to stop their attackers from contacting or harassing them or to stay away from their home or workplace.
Compared to other claims, the statute of limitations is extended under the GMVA and permits victims to file civil claims within seven years after the alleged crime of violence motivated by gender occurred. See GMVA, § 10-1105. The time can be extended by two additional years under certain circumstances, for example, when the victim was unable to file a claim due to injury, disability or infancy. It is noteworthy, however, that there is currently a lookback window to file claims which expires on March 1, 2025. This window revives all cases that may be barred by the statute of limitations. Without this lookback window, many of P. Diddy’s victims may not have been able to file claims against him.
If you or a loved one have been victims of gender-motivated violence do not hesitate to contact us at info@boylejasari.com or (771) 217-2400.
Criminal Prosecution
In addition to the numerous civil complaints, in September 2024, a federal grand jury in Manhattan indicted P. Diddy and charged him with various offenses related to his actions against women and minors. When police raided his Los Angeles Mansion, in March of 2024, they seized supplies that were intended for use in orgies, which he called “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil. P. Diddy was arrested on September 16, 2024, and has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where he reportedly shares a cell with Sam Bankman-Fried, a U.S. American entrepreneur who was convicted of wire fraud in November of 2023. Dennis Boyle wrote a blog post about his case if you want to learn more about it.
The indictment obtained against P. Diddy specifically charges him with Racketeering Conspiracy, Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion, and Transportation to Engage in Prostitution and alleges that P. Diddy “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”. If convicted, P. Diddy faces a sentence of 15 years up to life in prison.
Conclusion
Crimes that happened behind closed doors for more than twenty years have finally made their way into the public eye. P. Diddy pled not guilty to the criminal charges and denies the allegations made in the dozens of lawsuits that have been filed against him. But hundreds of people, including celebrities, either knew what he did or participated in his crimes, and it is only a matter of time until others either come forward with information, are sued or get indicted as well.

Blerina Jasari
Founder / Partner
Ms. Jasari concentrates her practice in the areas of international criminal law, transnational criminal law and white collar criminal defense.