Lawyers representing Sean “Diddy” Combs have filed a motion to dismiss certain claims in a sexual assault lawsuit brought against the rapper. The lawsuit, one of three filed in November 2023, alleges that Combs engaged in revenge porn. However, Combs’ legal team argues that the revenge porn claims should be dismissed as the New York State Revenge Porn Law was not enacted until 2019.
The lawsuit, filed ahead of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, claims that in January 1991, Combs took a then-19-year-old woman, later identified as Joi Dickerson-Deal, to a Harlem restaurant for dinner. Afterward, Combs allegedly drove her to a recording studio, where she claims she was drugged and unable to leave the vehicle. The lawsuit further alleges that Combs sexually assaulted her at a location where he was staying, while also filming the act. According to the lawsuit, a friend of the accuser later admitted to viewing the recorded footage along with other men.
Combs’ legal team argues that the revenge porn claims should be dismissed since the New York State Revenge Porn Law was not in effect at the time of the alleged incident. Additionally, they contend that the lawsuit’s allegations of sex trafficking predate the passage of the New York Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Law in 2007.
A representative for Combs previously denied the allegations, stating that the lawsuit was a last-minute attempt to exploit a well-intentioned law. The representative also claimed that the 32-year-old story was fabricated and lacked credibility, asserting that Combs never assaulted Dickerson-Deal and that she implicated non-existent companies. The lawsuit was filed shortly after Combs reached a settlement in a separate lawsuit brought by Cassie, who accused him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse.
Another lawsuit, filed the following day by a Jane Doe accuser, alleged that Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping the plaintiff and her friend after a record label party in 1990 or 1991. The same lawsuit also claimed that Combs turned violent during a subsequent rage, allegedly assaulting and choking his accuser. These sexual assault lawsuits come amidst an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation against Combs, which led to raids on his properties in Miami and Los Angeles. However, no criminal charges have been filed against the rapper-producer thus far.
