Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser reveals her identity in lawsuit alleging 4-year 'pattern of abuse'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser reveals her identity in lawsuit alleging 4-year 'pattern of abuse'
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Witness details rocky relationship with Sean 'Diddy' Combs
A witness using the name Jane said Sean Combs dismissed her when she refused sex with other men, and threatened to stop paying her rent.
More than eight months after accusing Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexually abusing and manipulating her over a four-year period in a 2024 lawsuit, a woman has come forward to identify herself.
Chelsea Lovelace, described as a Florida business owner, entrepreneur, and model, on June 13 filed an amended complaint in the New York Supreme Court using her own name as plaintiff, replacing the anonymous name Jane Doe she'd used in her Sept. 27 filing.
She alleges that between 2021 and 2024, Combs pressured her to regularly travel to meet him, ingest "illicit substances," have sex with other men and women and otherwise do his bidding by leveraging the allowance he was paying her. The claims and timeline mirror testimony Combs' former partner gave on the stand in his criminal trial.
Lovelace's filing comes after Combs' legal team sought the court to issue a ruling that would compel her to use her legal name, Lovelace's attorney, Joseph L. Ciaccio, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Before the Court made any decision on that, my client decided herself to come forward publicly on her own terms," Ciaccio said.
In response to Lovelace's amended complaint, Combs' team told USA TODAY in a statement reiterating, "Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: That Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone - man or woman, adult or minor."
Combs is on trial for charges of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Grammy-winning rapper and producer has faced a barrage of civil lawsuits – many of them from unnamed accusers – since November 2023, alleging sexual assault, abuse and trafficking dating back to the 1990s. Combs denies all misconduct claims.
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Chelsea Lovelace says alleged relationship with Diddy 'turned into manipulation, control and abuse'
He also shared a statement from Lovelace, who said of her alleged relationship with Combs, "There was a time I truly believed we shared something real. In my heart, for a time, I believed he genuinely cared about me. That we both cared for one another in a way that meant something.
"But over time, that illusion shattered. And with it, so did parts of me," Lovelace continued. "What I once thought was love and loyalty, quickly turned into manipulation, control and abuse. I was not seen as a person with a soul, but as a pawn in a much larger game. I didn't want to believe it. I wrestled with God, with my heart, with my own silence."
'Coercive control' and Diddy: You won't hear about this during the trial — here's why it's still important.
She clarified the lawsuit was "not an act of revenge," but rather "an act of release. Of standing in my truth. Of choosing healing over hiding." Lovelace added that eventually, "silence became too heavy to bear."
Lovelace concluded by saying she believes "that light exposes what needs to be healed. And I believe that the truth, even when it hurts, is the beginning of freedom." She also noted, "Today, I choose to walk forward with my head held high and my voice intact."
Chelsea Lovelace's lawsuit mirrors testimony from Diddy's ex, 'Jane'
Lovelace sued Combs for sexual assault, sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress.
She alleges she'd first met him on Nov. 5, 2020, on a three-day trip to Turks and Caicos for which he'd paid. (Lovelace's initial complaint did not specify this "overseas location.") She says he flew her back to his Miami estate via a private plane on Nov. 7, 2020, and sent her home Nov. 9. They started "seeing each other regularly" in early 2021, Lovelace alleges.
However, she claims her monthly trips with Combs, or to meet him, were "not of her own volition." Combs and his accomplices "would use coercive and harassing language to compel her to comply," Lovelace's lawsuit states. She went on to detail several alleged incidents, including forced and coerced sex with Combs as well as other people, blacking out from "alcohol and substances" various times and the realization that he was tracking her phone.
Lovelace also described Combs allegedly discouraging her from working and paying her an allowance that he would use as leverage "to control her."
Diddy trial recap: Diddy's ex, Jane, says she felt obligated to have sex with male escorts for him
The amended complaint includes details that have emerged throughout Combs' trial, which wrapped its sixth week in Manhattan federal court on June 13. Though Lovelace's September complaint included allegations about "City Girls" rapper Yung Miami, whose legal name is Caresha Brownlee, the new filing does not make mention of the musician, who is Combs' ex-girlfriend.
Lovelace's claims are reminiscent of testimony given by one of Combs' other ex-partners, who used the pseudonym Jane in federal court and alleged Combs took her on multiple trips to the islands and pressured her to do so-called "hotel nights" with sex workers. Jane also told jurors Combs allegedly paid her $10,000 per month rent but regularly threatened to revoke it if she didn't do his bidding.
They dated between 2021 and 2024, Jane said, at one point noting on the stand that while she was monogamous, Combs was not.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and Spanish via chat and at 800-656-4673.
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