Sean 'Diddy' Combs is already in custody awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering. Now he's set to face lawsuits from 120 people who have accused him of sexual assault and abuse. Photo: AFP / Angela Weiss
Hip hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, already in custody awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering, is now set to face lawsuits from 120 people who have accused him of sexual assault and abuse.
Last month the 54-year-old was arrested in a New York hotel and taken into police custody. Reuters reported that prosecutors accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to facilitate his exploitation of women, dating back at least 16 years. According to the 14-page federal criminal indictment, the rapper was responsible for coordinating days-long sexual parties - known to the people involved in them as "freak offs".
While Combs' defence lawyers tried to have him released on a US$50 million bond, prosecutors told the judge that Combs was "extremely dangerous to the community".
The father of seven has continuously denied criminal wrongdoing as a series of civil suits alleging sexual assault and physical violence, some going back to the 1990s, were filed against him.
AP reported that Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said he expected lawsuits to be filed within the next month. He said that 25 of the people he is representing were minors at the time of the alleged misconduct.
A lawyer for Combs said that his client "cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus", AP reported.
"That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors," attorney Erica Wolff said in a statement.
"He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."
