Diddy's legal team claims win after judge issues ruling in civil sexual assault case
On July 8, New York State Supreme Court Justice Leslie Stroh issued a ruling that narrowed the scope of a civil lawsuit against Combs, who was accused of sexual assault and battery by a woman named April Lampros in May 2024.
According to a court document obtained by USA TODAY, Stroh agreed to Combs' request to dismiss claims about any incidents that are found to have occurred before Dec. 19, 2000, when the Gender-Motivated Violence Act went into effect in New York City.
Lampros had alleged four unwanted sexual advances from Combs – a rape in 1995, a sexual assault in 1996, a coerced sexual performance and rape in 1998, and a sexual assault in her apartment either at the end of 2000 or early 2001.
In an Aug. 19 bid to dismiss Lampros' lawsuit, Combs' lawyers said she "filed this baseless lawsuit more than twenty years after the end of her romantic relationship with Mr. Combs" and added that "each and every one of her false claims is deficient on its face and must be dismissed."
Combs has maintained his innocence in response to at least 70 sexual assault lawsuits, which detail alleged incidents dating back to the 1990s. The 55-year-old music producer and businessman, who was convicted of prostitution charges on July 2, has been jailed since September amid his recently wrapped criminal case.
He will be sentenced on Oct. 3.
Diddy accuser's lawyer says 'it is full steam ahead'
In a statement to USA TODAY, Lampros' attorney Tyrone Blackburn confirmed that "the sole claim against Sean Combs is now the (New York City Gender-Motivated Violence Act) claim."
Blackburn added that he notified Combs' team of plans to depose the mogul within two months and "will be serving discovery demands" in the case within a day. "It is full steam ahead — playtime is over," he said.
In a statement, Combs' team said the ruling shows his motion to dismiss the suit largely "prevails."
Combs' team also said he "has not yet had an opportunity to contest those false allegations, and the Court's decision thus does not address their truth."
Trial recap: Everything that came to light, from disturbing claims to photos of belongings
April Lampros' lawsuit alleged Diddy assaulted her from 1995 to 2001
Lampros, a former New York Fashion Institute of Technology student, alleged Combs raped her on multiple occasions, including one instance in which she claimed he forced her and his then-girlfriend Kim Porter, who died in 2018, to take ecstasy and have sex together before he raped her.
Earlier in the year, Lampros withdrew three of the four causes of action in her suit: battery, sexual assault, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She also dismissed the companies she'd named as defendants: Bad Boy Records and Sony Music's Arista Records, where she'd allegedly worked at the time of the assaults.
The legal development comes on the heels of Combs' landmark sex-crimes trial in Manhattan court, which concluded on July 2 with a split verdict that found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The Grammy-winning rapper was acquitted on the most serious charge of racketeering and a pair of sex trafficking counts.
Despite not being found guilty of the charges that carried the most prison time, Combs was denied bail by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian just hours after the verdict was handed down. The judge cited, in part, Combs' history of domestic violence as he explained the reasoning for his decision.
Combs faces up to 20 years in prison for his convicted charges. But prosecutors have said sentencing guidelines could ultimately have him serve only 51 to 63 months in prison. Meanwhile, the defense said guidelines subject him to a maximum of two years.
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.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Patrick Ryan, and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
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