Diddy: Why He Believes His Sexual Assault Lawsuit Should Be Dismissed

Diddy, born Sean Combs, has been accused of sexually assaulting Joi Dickerson-Neal in the early 1990s. The music mogul believes that some of this sexual assault lawsuit should be dismissed because some claims Dickerson-Neal has in her suit were not laws when the alleged incident happened, per the Associated Press. Combs' attorneys filed a motion on Friday (April 26) denying Dickerson-Neal's citing of human trafficking and revenge porn in her suit.

In the alleged 1991 incident, Dickerson-Neal claims that Diddy "intentionally drugged" her, sexually assaulted her, and videotaped the alleged assault, which he showed to people in the music industry. At the time, Dickerson-Neal was a 19-year-old college student. Diddy has denied the allegations and accused Dickerson-Neal of taking advantage of the New York law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases. His attorneys said that there were “numerous false, offensive, and salacious accusations” in the lawsuit.

“This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law [New York State’s Adult Survivors Act] can be turned on its head," Diddy said through a spokesperson. "Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”

This is not the only sexual assault lawsuit that has been filed against Diddy. In February, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, a former producer and videographer for the rap mogul, is accusing Diddy of sexually harassing, drugging, and threatening him, according to People. The alleged abuse lasted for more than a year. The producer is seeking $30 million in damages. He is being represented by Tyron Blackburn.

Combs' son Justin, chief of staff Kristina Khorram, Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam have also been named as defendants according to legal documents obtained by the publication. However, Habtemariam has been recently dropped from Lil Rod's case due to alleged knowledge of the illegal drugs that were in the beverages at his parties.

“I am informed and believe that Mr. Blackburn has falsely represented to various social media sites and other media outlets that I agreed to ‘testify against’ Mr. Combs,” Habtemariam shared in a statement per AllHipHop. “This is completely untrue. I have no personal knowledge of any alleged wrongdoing by Mr. Combs and there is nothing I could testify to that would be against his interest.

“Being falsely accused of criminal conduct is deeply upsetting to me. I did no wrong," she said. "I never saw or participated in any alleged racketeering enterprise, and I never saw, aided or, abetted, or tried to conceal any sex trafficking activity. In short, there is no basis for any of the claims asserted against me, and I should never have been named a defendant in this lawsuit.”

She concluded: “My counsel provided a revised declaration that addressed the topics that Mr. Blackburn addressed and corrected his false narrative. I am aware that Mr. Blackburn found my truthful version to be unsatisfactory to him and he presented yet another version that again presented a false narrative.”

A judge has not made a decision in either case at this time.

Sean "Diddy" Combs has had a substantial and influential career in music, entertainment, and business. Diddy started his career as a talent director until he created his own label Bad Boy Records in 1993. On Bad Boy Records he helped cultivate the careers of Notorious B.I.G.'s along with R&B royalty Mary J. Blige, and Usher. On Diddy's own rapping accord, he released his debut album No Way Out in 1997 and is currently seven times platinum by the RIAA. He maintained success in music with Forever (1999), The Saga Continues..., (2001), and Press Play (2006).

The Harlem native continued to create his own albums and later produce MTV's Making The Band which aired for three seasons (2000-2002). The show created bands such as O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. After the show was over he found himself creating a band called Dirty Money in 2009 which was comprised of Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper.

Throughout his career, Diddy has had his hands in a lot of business ventures whether it was music, entertainment, or even the latest virtual currency. His businesses have put the entrepreneur on the map and have given him a lot of success since he just joined the billionaire club according to Forbes' former editor Zack O'Malley.

"Diddy becomes the third billionaire minted by Hip-Hop surging past Ye on the strength of several assets that have weathered the pandemic remarkably well," he wrote. "The value of his incredibly resilient Cîroc partnership with Diageo—which functions like an equity stake while creating cash flows for Diddy in the neighborhood of $60 million annually—continues to account for the bulk of his fortune."

Take a look at all of the businesses that Diddy currently owns:

Bad Boy Records was founded in 1993 by Diddy. It has since been a staple in hip-hop for over 20 years and has helped cultivate the careers of Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Mario Winans, New Edition, Danity Kane, and many more. Some artists currently on their roster are two of Diddy's sons Quincy Brown and Christian "King" Combs, as well as Cassie, French Montana, and himself.

Diddy is a proud Harlem native and one of his newest business ventures has been giving back. The rapper co-founded Capital Prep Harlem with Dr. Steve Perry in 2015. Perry founded Capital Prep Magnet School, located in Hartford, CT, in 2005 and was later implemented in Harlem. Capital Prep Harlem offers students an elite education starting from grade six all the way to their senior year of high school. Since this model was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 2005, it has sent 100% of its predominantly low-income first-generation graduates to college.

Under Combs Wines and Spirits, Diddy has partnered with Diageo's Cîroc and Deleön Tequila. Diddy handles the marketing for Cîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka and co-owns Deleön Tequila since 2013 and 2014 respectively.

https://seanjohn.com

Sean John is Diddy's fashion and lifestyle brand that launched in 1998. The brand is a staple in hip-hop fashion having created major fashion moments with velour tracksuits, baggy jeans, oversized shirts and terrycloth headbands. In 2021, Diddy got his brand back in a $7.55 million bid at an auction to save Sean John from bankruptcy. In a written statement to Forbes, Diddy said, "I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced Hip Hop to high-fashion on a global scale. Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I’m ready to reclaim ownership of the brand, build a team of visionary designers and global partners to write the next chapter of Sean John’s legacy."

REVOLT TV & Media is a "multi-genre, multi-platform network offers breaking music news, videos, artist interviews, exclusive performances, and original programming," the site reads. The company primarily focuses on hip-hop culture and entertainment with the tagline "unapologetically Black." REVOLT Films is a subsidiary of the aforementioned company which focuses on production. REVOLT Films produced UNDEFEATED, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2012, and DOPE which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival in 2015. According to the site, the production company currently has six feature film projects and three TV programs in various stages of development.

AQUAhydrate is a lifestyle beverage company where Diddy is an active investor and board member. The beverage company differs from the average water bottle you might pick up as it is "supplemented with all natural electrolytes and trace minerals and then elevated to an alkaline pH of over 9 using electrolysis," the site reads. Actor Mark Wahlberg also sits on the board alongside Diddy.