Sean "Diddy" Combs accused of drugging, sexually assaulting model in 2003
Sean "Diddy" Combs' troubles continued Tuesday as a lawsuit filed in New York federal court accused the hip-hop mogul of drugging and sexually assaulting a model in 2003.
The lawsuit was filed by Crystal McKinney under the NYC Gender Motivated Violence Act, which allows victims of violence committed on the basis of gender in the city to sue their abusers, regardless of when the abuse took place. The window for filing lawsuits under that act expires in 2025.
McKinney is also suing Combs' record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, his label's distributor, Universal Music Group, and Combs' fashion brand, Sean John Clothing.
According to the suit, then 22-year-old McKinney, who was a rising fashion model, was introduced to Combs by an unnamed fashion designer in 2003. The suit alleges the designer dressed and styled McKinney "to ensure Combs found her attractive" before taking her to meet Combs at Cipriani Downtown, a New York City restaurant.
According to the lawsuit, Combs made a number of flirtatious and sexually suggestive remarks about McKinney's appearance in front of the other dinner guests, including the designer. Later that night, Combs allegedly invited McKinney to his recording studio, where he was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana with several male companions, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit says that Comb passed McKinney a joint, saying, "You've never had weed like this before," which McKinney interpreted to mean the marijuana was laced with some other drug.
"Although plaintiff insisted that she had enough after that, Combs pressured her to imbibe more alcohol and marijuana by telling her that she was acting too uptight," the lawsuit reads.
After McKinney became "very intoxicated," the lawsuit claims, Combs led her into the bathroom and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Afterward, she alleges she lost consciousness and woke up in a cab.
CBS News has reached out to Combs' representatives for comment. Universal Music Group declined to comment "pending lawyers' review of the lawsuit."
McKinney claims her modeling opportunities disappeared after the alleged incident because Combs had her "'blackballed' in the industry and utilized his significant influence to impede [her] career growth." According to the suit, in the years following the alleged incident, McKinney became anxious, depressed and addicted to drugs and alcohol, and she attempted suicide around 2004.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of a security video aired by CNN on Friday that allegedly shows Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Combs on Sunday publicly apologized for the incident, saying his behavior was "inexcusable," and that he takes "full responsibility" for his actions.
Earlier this month, Combs asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that he and two co-defendants raped a 17-year-old girl in a New York recording studio in 2003, saying it was a "false and hideous claim" that was filed too late under the law.
In March, Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents and other law enforcement officers due to a possible ongoing sex trafficking investigation, U.S. officials said at the time.
Other accusations against the music mogul include those made by two women in November last year, one week after he settled a separate lawsuit with the singer Cassie that contained allegations of rape and physical abuse. The women's lawsuits were filed on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations.
In February, a male music producer also filed a federal lawsuit against Combs accusing him of sexual misconduct.
- In:
- Lawsuit
- Sexual Assault
- Sean "Diddy" Combs
S. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.
