Latest news with #civillawsuits
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Jane Doe shares story accusing prominent Sacramento businessman Ethan Conrad of sexual assault
Prominent Sacramento businessman Ethan Conrad is facing mounting legal troubles. Six women have filed civil lawsuits against the millionaire real estate developer, alleging he did terrible things to them. CBS13 discovered that on August 8, Sacramento County sheriff's detectives interviewed a woman who accused Conrad of sexual assault. Remaining anonymous, she sat down with CBS13 to share her story. She is listed as Jane Doe in court documents. She said that hearing the other alleged cases encouraged her to come forward. "It feels like a double-edged sword, 'oh, I'm not the only one,' " Jane Doe said to CBS13. "You know, when it happened, I felt like no one is going to believe me. We were drinking. I'm young. This man is well-known in the community." Jane Doe said that in 2009, she, her then-boyfriend and a friend met with Conrad for dinner at a Sacramento restaurant. She said that after an argument with her boyfriend, Conrad offered to take her and her friend back to his place. She says what happened next became a blur of horror, confusion and shame that kept her silent for 16 years. "I woke up the next morning and my friend told me, as we were leaving, what she believed happened, what she heard happen, and I was in disbelief. I did check myself and that's when I did smell the condom smell," Jane Doe said. Within the last year, five other women have filed lawsuits against Conrad. Three of them also accuse him of drugging and raping them. Two years after Jane Doe's alleged attack, one of Conrad's business partners, listed in court documents as Jane Smith, recalls similar details. In court documents, she said that a business meeting with Conrad at a restaurant ended with just the two of them at Conrad's house. In court records, Jane Smith alleges a "sudden onset of extreme dizziness" that was "disproportionate" to how much champagne she had. She said she woke to widespread bruising across her body and persistent pelvic pain that lasted two months. She worried she wouldn't be able to bear children. Eleven years later, a single mother alleges a similar story. In court documents, the mother, listed as Jane Roe, said she met Conrad online in 2022. They texted for several months, and then he invited her to his place. CBS13 sifted through court documents listing crude, disturbing claims. The single mom said that Conrad gave her a shot of tequila that "tasted differently." Jane Smith said he laughed, saying "it was an expensive brand from Mexico." She remembers feeling "heavy" and "drowsy" with "no ability to defend herself." She submitted text messages to the court, allegedly from Conrad in the following days. Some are too graphic to share as they go into detail about what he said he allegedly did to her that night, followed up with him asking, "Aren't you on birth control anyway?" "Hearing their stories, I absolutely believe them because that was exactly what happened to me," Jane Doe said. The three other women are listed as Jane Roe 2, Jamie Doe, and Penelope Poe in their court documents. I talked with Conrad over the phone. He said that success has made him a target. He wouldn't go on camera, but sent an email saying, "there's been no evidence produced by the opposing counsels or the plaintiffs that I am guilty of any wrongdoing at all and I have overwhelming proof that I am innocent of all charges." Conrad also wrote, "With regard to the civil cases, there have been no evidence produced by the opposing counsels or the plaintiffs that I am guilty of any wrongdoing at all and I have overwhelming proof that I am innocent of all charges... I am very confident that the civil cases will end up being dismissed." When asked what her response is to Conrad, Jane Doe said, "No one would want to put themselves through this for monetary reasons. This is not easy to do." Jane Doe said she never went to the police, and there's no medical evidence she was drugged or sexually abused. "I've never been in touch with Ethan ever again, either," said Jane Doe, reiterating that she never confronted him. When I talked with Conrad over the phone, he questioned why some of the women didn't come forward sooner. In the case of the single mom, she submitted text messages to the court claiming he threatened a lawsuit if she continued to make accusations against him and alleged that he made it clear his prominence would be used to punish her. In her case, she did file a police report and said she has medical records confirming a sexual assault. Jane Doe's case may be the only one with a purported witness. She said that her friend, who was there that night, told her what happened. "It seems like he felt invincible for a long time," Jane Doe said. "I was told he was a Sacramento elite and has a lot of connections and has a lot of money to make things that are not putting him in a good light go away." Jane Doe said that there's an odd comfort in believing she's not alone, giving her confidence that others will believe her now. But she said she feels guilty that she didn't come forward sooner. "Even though I'm here now and people say I'm so strong, I don't feel strong. There's women who came before me. That's the only reason why I'm coming now. I would've kept that to myself," she said. Jane Doe filed her lawsuit against Ethan Conrad in civil court. As far as any criminal charges, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said it has received reports from detectives about Conrad, but they can't comment any further. Again, Conrad told CBS Sacramento via text and email that he is completely innocent of all the allegations.
Daily Mail
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Diddy still has 'plenty of assets and cash' to lose if civil suits against him are successful, victims attorney claims
The rumours that Sean ' Diddy ' Combs' vast fortune has been wiped out on his legal defence are unfounded and civil lawsuits against him will be 'pursued aggressively', an attorney representing victims has claimed. Speaking to the Mail's The Trial of Diddy podcast, Arick Fudali of The Bloom Firm, New York, said it was his 'understanding' that the rap mogul still had 'plenty of cash and assets' to pay for damages. Combs, 55, was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of the most serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He will be sentenced on October 3 and faces up to 20 years in prison, though legal analysts predict he will receive much less. Prosecutors are seeking a 4–5-year sentence for Combs. 'It's my assumption that Combs still has plenty of cash and assets', Fudali told the podcast. 'He can afford to pay his lawyers and to pay out for any judgement that will be brought. 'We have certainly had circumstances where we have won judgements against millionaires, billionaires and they refuse to cooperate with the collection process. 'We have to pursue those judgments… we're certainly equipped to do that. I am not an expert on assets or what sort of funds he actually has, but to pay for whole rows of defence attorneys certainly isn't cheap. 'We are moving forward under the assumption that if there is a judgement against Mr Combs, we will be able to collect on it.' Combs's legal team have repeatedly tried to have the rap mogul released on bail since the controversial trial verdict. However, Judge Subramanian has repeatedly blocked these attempts, citing Combs's history of domestic violence and describing him as an 'extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper.' Host Brantley asked Fudali whether the Bad Boy Records founder's current imprisonment would hurt efforts to pursue civil cases against him. Civil cases have a lower threshold of guilt than criminal ones – whilst Combs was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering during the trial, this means victims could still succeed in pursuing compensation through civil court. 'Prison is not a deterrent to us', Fudali said. 'I am happy to go to any prison he's housed in and take his deposition there… there's no real need to wait to get this started. 'Sometimes civil cases will wait till the end of a criminal case to get moving, have like a stay while the case is pending. We've chosen not to do that. 'There will be no waiting, and we will pursue him as quickly as possible.' Fudali said he anticipates Combs will receive a prison sentence for his convictions, despite the work of his legal team. Drawing from his experience as a prosecutor, the attorney said he believes the judge would have released Combs if he wasn't planning to impose prison time. Fudali said: 'I am not an expert on prison sentences, although I was a prosecutor a long time ago. 'What I can say though is that the judge has opined on the fact he is holding Mr Combs pending sentencing and what he's considered. 'My understanding is that the judge is considering not just the convictions of prostitution, but everything else he saw… the enormous amounts of violence, the allegations of witness tampering, intimidation. 'The allegation he blew up a car with a Molotov cocktail. These are very serious, violent, intimidating and aggressive allegations. All that can be considered by a judge. 'My assumption therefore is that the judge is holding Mr Combs in jail pending a sentence.' To listen to the full interview with Arick Fudali about the civil suits being pursued against Combs, search for The Trial of Diddy now, wherever you get your podcasts.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- New York Times
Sean Combs Faces Not Just a Sentencing, but a Host of Civil Cases
The federal trial of Sean Combs ended on Wednesday with the media mogul acquitted on the most serious charges, but while Mr. Combs remains in jail and awaits sentencing for charges of transporting prostitutes, he also faces ongoing civil lawsuits. There are more than 50 lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse, the majority of which are based in New York. The accusations date as far back as the 1990s and include allegations of druggings and rapes, often at parties. The plaintiffs are a mix of men and women, and at least a dozen say Mr. Combs sexually assaulted them when they were minors. Many of the suits were filed anonymously. In a statement following the verdict, Erica Wolff, a civil lawyer who represents Mr. Combs, said the outcome helped prove 'what we have been saying about the civil cases since day one: they are all fabricated attempts to extort windfall payments from an innocent man.' 'Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone,' she said. 'From the beginning, we have vigorously defended against the civil plaintiffs' made-up claims with full confidence that Mr. Combs would prevail in the criminal case, and he did.' But now the question becomes whether evidence from the criminal case could find a way into the civil suits in ways that could affect their outcomes. Mr. Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy during the criminal trial, but he was found to have engaged in transportation to move escorts over state lines for the purposes of prostitution. Still, there was a lot of testimony that he was repeatedly violent to a former girlfriend and used drugs in sexual situations. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What experts want you to know about PTSD and abusive relationships amid the Diddy trial
As the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs continues, expect to hear more terms and conditions related to allegedly abusive relationships. Combs was arrested in September 2024 at a Manhattan hotel and was subsequently charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts. The criminal trial emerges as a series of civil lawsuits from dozens of accusers have been aimed at Combs, accusing one of the music industry's most recognizable figures of a pervasive pattern of sexually and physically abusive behavior. The allegations span decades and include claims of rape, sexual assault and physical violence. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of those terms you might hear about during the testimony. It's a mental health condition that can sometimes stem from staying in abusive and traumatic situations for too long, mental health experts tell USA TODAY. "It is incredibly difficult for survivors of any form of abuse to disclose to others about their experience," says licensed marriage and family therapist Payal Patel, LMFT. "It takes a lot of courage, bravery and empowerment to get to that point. And it's not our jobs to decipher what happened that led to the abuse, or whose fault it was or why they waited so long to report ... It is a long journey to healing for survivors, the least we can do is provide support rather than shame them." Here's what mental health experts want you to understand about PTSD as the Diddy trial continues. Important: Diddy's trial, the 'freak off' parties and what the fascination says about us PTSD is a mental health disorder that stems from "experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, act of violence or serious accident," according to the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). It's commonly discussed in cases of war veterans, but other triggers can include abusive relationships, health scares and watching someone else die or get injured, Patel adds. Medical professionals might diagnose someone with PTSD if symptoms – which include feeling anxious, sad, scared or angry, struggling to concentrate or go to sleep and continuously thinking about the traumatic event – last long after the event took place and interfere with the person's ability to live their day-to-day life. In case you missed: 'Coercive control' is the phrase you won't hear about at the Diddy trial. Why it's still important. The good news is that most people experiencing PTSD will recover from their current symptoms over time, per NIMH. The top expert recommendation for PTSD treatment is talk therapy – the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, notes that types of therapy including cognitive processing therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and prolonged exposure may be helpful. "Therapy is of course the most helpful for people who have been survivors of any form of abuse," Patel says. "You want to make sure you are working with a therapist who is trauma-informed and has enough training in working with survivors. It can be a long journey of learning how to build boundaries, learning to trust yourself and others and finding support. But with the right therapist, I have seen many people work through their trauma from emotional abuse and move towards healthier relationships with themselves and others." Medications commonly prescribed to help with PTSD include paroxetine, sertraline and venlafaxine, per the NCPTSD. Some research has suggested emotional support dogs can have a positive impact, too. The NIMH notes that it has been backing research to learn more about how to identify "which trauma survivors are likely to recover naturally and which survivors may benefit from treatment," as well as studying ways to improve treatment for survivors' specific needs. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the treatment for PTSD?
