'Making the Band' singer Sara Rivers dealt legal blow in Sean 'Diddy' Combs lawsuit
Rivers, who appeared on Combs' early 2000s reality show "Making the Band 2" and became a member of hip-hop group Da Band, sued Combs in February on allegations of "unwanted touching," creating a hostile work environment, and fraud while filming the MTV show. The singer also sued several of Combs' companies and business associates for their alleged involvement, including Combs' mother, Janice Combs.
In an Aug. 14 ruling in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Jed S. Rakoff ordered that 21 of the 22 charges listed in Rivers' lawsuit, which span racketeering, assault and battery, forced labor, and false imprisonment, should be dismissed with prejudice, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY. As a result, Rivers will not be able to refile the dismissed charges in a new case.
The remaining charge in Rivers' complaint, which alleges Combs violated the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act through his alleged sexual abuse of Rivers, has not been determined with or without prejudice, leaving the possibility that Rivers could renew her claim in a new lawsuit.
Judge Rakoff said he is holding off on a definitive ruling on the gender-motivated violence charge pending a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on the parameters of the New York law.
USA TODAY has reached out to Rivers' attorneys for comment. Combs' attorney, Erica Wolff, celebrated the ruling in a statement to USA TODAY.
"From the outset, we have said these claims were meritless, time-barred and legally deficient," Wolff said. "The court agreed, finding no legal basis to allow them to proceed. We are pleased the court carefully analyzed and swiftly dismissed these baseless claims."
Combs, who was arrested in September 2024, remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his trial earlier this summer on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. In July, the rapper was found guilty on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted of the remaining offenses.
Diddy's legal troubles: Every lawsuit and sex abuse allegation against the music mogul
Sara Rivers alleged Diddy sexually assaulted her at music studio
In her February lawsuit against Combs, Rivers alleged that Combs sexually assaulted her during her time on "Making the Band 2," a music competition series that centered on the creation of Combs' hip-hop group, Da Band.
The singer said she had a confrontation with Combs during a trip to Washington, D.C., after Combs demanded Rivers drink a cocktail he provided that she refused. Around this time, Combs also reportedly claimed that Rivers and her bandmates "lacked drive and initiative" because they didn't visit Combs' studio, Daddy's House, to record music.
Heeding Combs' criticism, Rivers said she later went to the studio on her own to record. The "Making the Band" alum claimed that shortly after entering the music facility, Combs abruptly approached her, backed her into a corner, and "ran his left hand across her breasts."
After Combs let her leave, Rivers reportedly left the studio "in shock and disbelief" that the rapper assaulted her.
As a result of Combs' alleged sexual abuse, Rivers "has sustained and will continue to sustain, monetary damages, physical injury, pain and suffering, and serious psychological and emotional distress," the lawsuit stated.
'You make me so mad, I want to eat your flesh'
In January, Rivers appeared in Peacock's "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy," a documentary that examined Combs' rise to fame and the damning criminal allegations that derailed his media empire.
The former TV personality described Combs as a volatile boss who would routinely berate her and her bandmates. "When he got angry with one of my band members, he said, 'You make me so mad, I want to eat your flesh,'" Rivers recalled.
Sara Rivers speaks out against Diddy: 'Making the Band' alum alleges 'inappropriate' touching in documentary
The singer also accused Combs of sexual misconduct in the special, claiming that he "touched me in a place that he shouldn't have" during a one-on-one incident.
"That was inappropriate, and I felt intimidated," Rivers said, later getting choked up. "I'm definitely nervous. ... I haven't said anything for so long, and it's built up."
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
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