Latest news with #IWanttoWorkforDiddy
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Sean Combs Faces Four New Sex Abuse Lawsuits, Filed in One Day
Four new sex abuse lawsuits have been filed against Sean Combs, including one from a woman who says she was assaulted while a contestant on a VH1 reality show in which people vied to be hired as the hip-hop mogul's personal assistant. The new cases, which were filed on Thursday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, join the dozens of civil lawsuits that have been filed against Mr. Combs since Casandra Ventura, his former girlfriend, made bombshell allegations against him in November 2023. Ms. Ventura's suit was quickly settled, though at least 50 civil suits have followed hers with various accusations of sexual misconduct or violence. He has denied the allegations. In September, Mr. Combs was also indicted on federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied those accusations and pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled to begin in May. In one of the new suits, Kendra Haffoney says that she was raped by Mr. Combs around 2008, while she was a contestant on VH1's 'I Want to Work for Diddy,' which ran on the cable channel starting that year. On the show, various aspiring assistants tried to impress the demanding and mercurial Mr. Combs to earn a place as his right hand. Ms. Haffoney is credited with appearances on two episodes. In her suit, she alleges that she was handed a spiked drink at an after-party in the SoHo area of Manhattan, where Mr. Combs and others were partying and 'many sexual situations' were underway, making her uncomfortable. She became delirious, the suit says, and Mr. Combs 'guided her head down' to perform oral sex on him. She passed out and awoke later at the cast house, and 'knew that she had been sexually assaulted, raped' by him, according to the court papers. Another suit was filed by Justin Gooch, who said that in 1999, when he was 16, he met Mr. Combs at the Tunnel, then a popular dance club in Manhattan. The suit says that Mr. Combs gave him ecstasy and alcohol, and they then went to a bathroom, where Mr. Combs gave Mr. Gooch more drugs and 'anally penetrated' him without his consent. According to the court papers, when he finished, Mr. Combs said to him, 'That wasn't so bad, was it?' Leslie Cockrell, the plaintiff in a third suit filed on Thursday, says that in 1999, she went to a party in the Hamptons, where Mr. Combs gave her a drink and she became lightheaded and nauseous. The plaintiff in the fourth suit, Aristalia Benitez accuses Mr. Combs 'and/or other unknown associates' of assaulting her at a party at a New York restaurant, where she says Mr. Combs gave her what he said was a nonalcoholic drink that she believes contained drugs that caused her to lose consciousness. In a statement, attorneys for Mr. Combs denied the allegations in all four suits. 'This is yet another example of false claims being filed against Mr. Combs,' the statement said. 'No matter how many lawsuits are filed it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason.' The four suits all cited the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, a New York City law enacted in 2000. An amendment to that law in 2022 created a temporary window in which people who believe they were victims of sexual assault could bring civil suits even if the statute of limitations for the alleged incidents had expired. The window is set to close at the beginning of March. Lawyers and advocates have debated the bounds of the city law, along with the question of whether it conflicts with state laws that set similar look-back windows for allegations of abuse of both children and adults. Some judges have also drawn limits on the law. Last year, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of United States District Court in Manhattan dismissed a case against Steven Tyler, the lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith, who had been accused of aggressively kissing and groping a woman in the 1970s, when she was 17. Part of Judge Kaplan's reasoning was that the city law was pre-empted by the state laws. It also remains unclear whether accusations that predate the passage of the Gender-Motivated Violence law in 2000 can be brought under the recent window. Some judges have ruled in other cases that the law could not be applied retroactively. In three of the four suits filed against Mr. Combs on Thursday the accusations involve encounters said to have occurred before 2000. On Thursday, Mr. Combs's attorneys took aim at plaintiffs who have filed suits in the last hours of the window created by the city law. 'With the deadline for New York's Gender-Motivated Violence Act expiring tomorrow,' Mr. Combs's attorneys said, 'it's clear that opportunists are rushing to file last-minute, meritless claims. Mr. Combs remains confident he will prevail in court.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Faces Four New Lawsuits Through Gender-Motivated Violence Act
Diddy has been hit with new lawsuits filed under the Gender-Motivated Violence Act. Multiple sources have reported that the embattled mogul his now facing four new suits claiming that Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted the plaintiffs on various accounts and periods of time. All the suits were filed in New York as the GMVA window to file a lawsuit against their alleged abuser retroactively comes to an end on March 1, 2025. Aristalia Benitez is the plaintiff in the first suit, dating her interaction with Diddy to 1995. Benitez claims that she met Sean Combs when she was 20-years-old and living in New York City. While working at Peppe Jeans, she was invited to and attended a party at a restaurant where the Sean John founder was present. She claims to have accepted a 'non-alcoholic drink, after which Combs allegedly forcibly groped and fondled [her] breasts, butt, and genital area under her clothes,' per the lawsuit. Benitez claims to have fallen unconscious and awakened in the back of a cab, where she noticed pain in her groin area. The woman claims she pieced the night together, realizing she had been 'vaginally penetrated by Defendant Combs' and some of Combs' associates at some point. Justin Gooch, 16 at the time of his alleged recollection, claimed that he was sexually attacked in 1999. At the time, Gooch says that he was living with his grandparents in New Jersey and made a trip to NYC to party at the Tunnel nightclub. It was at this now-defunct venue that the boy claims to have met Diddy, with the entertainer inviting him to join him in a bathroom stall. Combs allegedly gave Gooch ketamine and then 'anally penetrated him without consent.' After the attack, Diddy allegedly asked the underaged teenager, 'That wasn't so bad, was it?' Leslie Cockrell's suit claims that she was attacked by the Hip-Hop icon in 1999 when she was 24 years of age. Cockrell attended one of Puffy's famous Hampton parties, where she drank a cocktail Combs offered her. Before drifting in and out of consciousness, the suit states that Leslie remembered seeing the house 'packed inside and outside with naked people who were engaging in sexual activities together.' As she awakened, Cockrell was met with Diddy allegedly having sex with her without her consent. Combs then demanded that the woman not tell anyone what transpired at the party. Kendra Haffoney filed the fourth suit against Sean Combs and VH1. She claims that she was an employee of a designer showroom in Los Angeles in 2007. Haffoney stated that she had been working on the VH1 show I Want to Work for Diddy, where she was eventually invited to an afterparty. At the event, she claims to have been guided to a backroom where Diddy and other unnamed associates were chilling out. Kendra claims to have started feeling lightheaded as Diddy allegedly 'guided her head down to have her perform oral sex on him.' Haffoney eventually passed out and then woke up to find Sean Combs at the end of the bed, and 'her vaginal area felt sore.' The designer later states that she was then invited back to Combs' mansion, where the abuse continued. Sean Combs' representatives responded to the lawsuits in a statement to Variety, stating, 'No matter how many lawsuits are filed—especially by individuals who refuse to put their own names behind their claims—it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor. This lawsuit is nothing more than a collection of media headlines stitched together with fragments from other lawsuits and baseless rumors. With the deadline for New York's Gender-Motivated Violence Act expiring tomorrow, opportunists are scrambling to file last-minute, meritless claims. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason, but that does not make the claims true. Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail in court.' More from Diddy's Mom Sued For Allegedly Seizing Bad Boy Ent. From Co-Founder Kirk Burrowes Diddy's Lawyers Claim Tony Buzbee Improperly Filed 22 Lawsuits Against Him A$AP Rocky's Lawyer Explains Why He Turned Down Representing Diddy In Court
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
South Korean Police Want to Question Woman Accused of Kissing BTS' Jin Without Consent
Police in South Korea have summoned a Japanese woman for questioning on sexual harassment allegations after she allegedly kissed BTS member Jin without his consent, The Associated Press reports. The alleged incident took place at an event in Seoul last June, where Jin met with fans after he finished his mandatory military service. During the event, Jin was offering hugs to fans when the woman allegedly kissed him on the cheek. Video footage appeared to show Jin looking uncomfortable. More from Rolling Stone Sean Combs Coerced 'I Want to Work for Diddy' Contestant into Sex, Lawsuit Claims Former Def Jam President Kevin Liles Sued for Sexual Assault With A Little Funk and Sole: Here's How You Can Get the Limited Edition Dr. Martens x BT21 Collection Online The woman's identity has not been revealed, though she's reportedly in her 50s and wrote about the event on a blog. 'My lips touched his neck,' she allegedly wrote, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. 'His skin was so soft.' The investigation into the incident was launched after someone filed a legal complaint online, and the police decided to pick up the case. Authorities in South Korea were able to confirm the woman's identity with the help of police in Japan. So far, the woman has refused to appear for questioning on the possible sexual harassment charges, and police have yet to say what next steps they will take if she does not come forward. A rep for Jin and BTS did not immediately return Rolling Stone's request for comment. Jin, who is the oldest member of BTS, was the first to begin and finish his mandatory military service. He enlisted in 2022 after the group confirmed their hiatus so all seven members of the group could explore solo careers and fulfill their military obligations. (The group is expected to reconvene this year.) A few months after his discharge, Jin released his debut solo album, Happy, which included songs like 'I'll Be There' and 'Running Wild.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
See - Sada Elbalad
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Sean "Diddy" Combs Hit with Four Additional Sexual Assault Suits
Yara Sameh Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been hit with four new lawsuits from plaintiffs alleging sexual assault. The suits were filed in New York, all under the Gender-Motivated Violence Act with a lookback window closing on March 1. It detailed similar allegations of sexual assault, with accusers claiming they were drugged and subsequently subjected to sexual acts against their will. The GMVA was granted an amendment in 2022 that allowed survivors whose claims were previously time-barred to file a suit against their abuser during the window period of March 1, 2023 and March 1, 2025. With the Act coming to a close, more suits are expected to be filed before week's end. The first suit against Combs comes from Aristalia Benitez, who lived in New York City in 1995 at the age of 20. Another plaintiff, Justin Gooch, claims that he was 16 years old in 1999 while living with his grandparents in New Jersey. Leslie Cockrell filed a third suit regarding an incident that occurred in 1999 when she was 24. The fourth lawsuit was filed against Combs and VH1 by Kendra Haffoney, who worked for a designer showroom in Los Angeles in 2007. She applied to a new VH1 show 'I Want to Work for Diddy,' and was selected, moving to New York that year. In a statement, representatives for Combs said, 'No matter how many lawsuits are filed—especially by individuals who refuse to put their own names behind their claims—it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor. This lawsuit is nothing more than a collection of media headlines, stitched together with fragments from other lawsuits and baseless rumors. With the deadline for New York's Gender-Motivated Violence Act expiring tomorrow, opportunists are scrambling to file last-minute, meritless claims. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason, but that does not make the claims true. Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail in court.' The filings come shortly after a male escort sued Combs over accusations of sexual assault that allegedly occurred in 2012. Combs is currently detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, where he will remain until his criminal trial, slated for May 5.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean Combs Coerced ‘I Want to Work for Diddy' Contestant into Sex, Lawsuit Claims
A new lawsuit alleges disgraced music mogul Sean Combs repeatedly sexually assaulted a female contestant on the first season his VH1 reality show I Want to Work for Diddy. The contestant, Kendra Haffoney, claims the abuse took place in 2007 after she was selected as a finalist for the first season of the show. In her lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan, Haffoney alleges her interactions with Combs were sporadic at first but became more consistent as filming progressed. She claims one night, Combs invited her to an afterparty where she was offered a drink and ushered to his side. Haffoney claims the drink must have been drugged because she started to feel 'delirious.' More from Rolling Stone Sean Combs' Mom Sued for Fraud by Bad Boy Co-Founder Kirk Burrowes A$AP Rocky Accuser Unfazed by Rapper's Acquittal, Gets Trial Date for Lawsuit Kanye West's Legal Troubles: Nazi Taunts, Sexual Assault Claims and Music Disputes According to the lawsuit, Combs allegedly 'guided [Haffoney's] head down to have her perform oral sex on him.' Haffoney claims the effects of whatever she ingested, along with the power dynamics of the situation, left her feeling powerless to resist. 'Plaintiff wanted to leave, but as the oral sex with Diddy continued, she felt her body getting weak and she ultimately passed out,' the lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone alleges. Haffoney claims she eventually woke up back in the I Want to Work for Diddy cast house with Combs sitting on the foot of the bed. 'She knew that she had been drugged with something, she felt weak, and her vagina area felt sore,' the lawsuit alleges. 'Plaintiff knew she had been sexually assaulted, raped, but did not know what to say or who to speak with, was ashamed, confused, degraded, humiliated, and shocked, so she suffered in silence and continued on the show.' Haffoney says that a short time later, she flew with the cast to Los Angeles for further filming. Without elaborating, she claims Combs subjected her to 'additional acts of sexual assault and misconduct' in California. The new lawsuit is one of dozens filed against Combs since his former partner Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura accused him of rape and sex trafficking in a November 2023 lawsuit. A spokesperson for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday, but his lawyers have said in prior statements that the music mogul never sexually assaulted anyone. Haffoney, a resident of Delaware, was able to file her 18-year-old claim using a lookback window tied to a New York City law enacted in 2000 that allows victims to sue their attackers and related institutions for alleged gender-motivated violence. The two-year lookback window, which closes Saturday, has allowed plaintiffs to file lawsuits that otherwise were beyond the statute of limitations. In addition to Combs, Haffoney also is suing VH1 and Bad Boy Entertainment. Haffoney is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Representatives for VH1's parent company Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Combs, 55, remains locked up in a federal detention center in Brooklyn while he awaits a May 2025 trial on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. According to an expanded indictment filed last month, Combs allegedly coerced at least three women into commercial sex acts dating as far back as 2004. Prosecutors claim Combs presided over a 'criminal organization' that also engaged in drug distribution, kidnapping, and arson. If convicted as charged, he's facing the possibility of up to life in prison. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
