Timeline of Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ legal troubles: from Cassie’s suit to his arrest

Sean “Diddy” Combs has become a definitive figure in hip-hop, boasting a diverse portfolio encompassing music, fashion, spirits, and more, reaching the highest echelons of these industries.

However, reports over the past year have shed light on longstanding allegations surrounding his conduct behind closed doors

The first crack in the dam came in November, when allegations in a legal complaint from his ex-girlfriend, Me & U singer Cassie, opened the door to what has now amounted to ten legal complaints against the mogul.

On 17 September, he was arrested in Manhattan on charges that included sex trafficking, forced labour, coercion to engage in prostitution, and narcotics distribution.

Combs entered a plea of not guilty to these charges, and, following his arrest, his attorney Marc Agnifilo stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is pursuing an “unjust prosecution,” adding that Combs has cooperated with the investigation.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community,” Agnifilo, a former federal and state prosecutor, said. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”

Here is a look at the accusations that have emerged over the past ten months involving Combs.

16 November 2023: Cassandra Ventura, also known as the singer Cassie, filed a legal complaint alleging years of sexual abuse, harassment, and rape during her relationship with Combs. Cassie also claimed in the suit that Combs threatened to blow up Kid Cudi’s car; subsequently, the rapper’s car exploded, and Cudi confirmed the version of events detailed in her suit. Her case was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, and just one day later, the lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

23 November 2023: A week later, just before the deadline for filing under the Adult Survivors Act, Combs was hit with two more lawsuits. Joi Dickerson-Neal accused him of misconduct in the 1990s after a date when she was 19. The case alleges that Combs drugged and raped her while recording the assault, while another anonymous lawsuit accuses Combs and singer Aaron Hall of sexually assaulting a woman and then beating her days later.

6 December 2023: Combs was accused of involvement in a gang rape in 2003, where he allegedly drugged the accuser, then 17, in a recording studio. In the wake of this accusation, Combs stepped down as chairman of Revolt TV, and several brands cut ties with his business. On Instagram, Combs denied all the allegations: “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he wrote. “I will fight for my name, my family, and for the truth.”

26 February 2024: The Lil’ Rod lawsuit was filed, accusing Combs of sexual assault and coercion, forcing producer Rodney “Lil’ Rod” Jones to engage with prostitutes, use drugs, and endure humiliation.

Jones alleges he was sexually assaulted and was forced by Combs to engage in sex acts, solicit sex workers, and that he was unpaid for work on Combs’s 2023 album. Combs’s legal team denied all accusations as “pure fiction,” claiming Jones’s allegations were exaggerated.

25 March 2024:Authorities raided Combs’s properties in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami in connection with a broader investigation into sex trafficking allegations. As the *Lil’ Rod* lawsuit garnered attention, Combs’s then-attorney Aaron Dyer condemned the raids as a “gross overuse of military-level force.”

4 April 2024: A lawsuit implicated Christian Combs, the mogul’s son, in an alleged sexual assault involving a staff member on a chartered yacht. Combs was accused of creating an environment that facilitated the assault.

26 April 2024:Combs’s legal team filed motions to dismiss key elements of the lawsuits, arguing some claims, like revenge porn and human trafficking, were not illegal in 1991, when they allegedly occurred. The filing condemned “the numerous false, offensive, and salacious accusations.”

10 May 2024:Combs’s legal team again pushed back, alleging the Detroit woman’s lawsuit was filed too late and that the claims were “false and hideous.”

17 May 2024:Combs’s reputation took a major hit after CNN obtained footage of him assaulting Cassie in 2016. “My behaviour on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he said in an Instagram statement.

9–10 June 2024:Howard University revoked an honorary degree awarded to Combs, and he returned a key to New York City at Mayor Eric Adams’s request.

10 June 2024: Rap rival Suge Knight, from prison, suggested Combs had worked with the FBI as an informant, allowing him to act without consequence. “Naturally, Puffy has been an FBI informant forever,” Knight said on his podcast Collect Call with Suge Knight.

26 August 2024:Combs’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Lil’ Rod’s case, arguing that Jones exaggerated claims and accused him of seeking a media spectacle. “Mr. Combs possesses compromising footage of everyone who attended his ‘freak off’ parties and believes he is above the law,” the complaint stated.

11 September 2024:Singer Dawn Richard filed what became the tenth lawsuit against Combs, alleging years of psychological and physical abuse during their time working together.

15 September 2024:Combs returned to New York in anticipation of his arrest. On Sunday, he was seen mingling with fans in Central Park and was photographed with his son, Christian Combs.

16 September 2024: Combs was arrested in Manhattan, and the following day, an indictment accused him of crimes related to an alleged decades-long pattern of violence against women. He pleaded not guilty but was ordered to remain in custody until his trial.

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