Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs facing four more sexual assault lawsuits
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs has been hit with four more sexual assault lawsuits. Filed under the Gender-Motivated Violence Act, the suits arrive shortly before the lookback window closes on March 1st, 2025. A lookback window is a temporary extension of the statute of limitations, providing additional time to file sexual abuse claims.
All four lawsuits were filed in New York, with the alleged victims claiming they were drugged and subjected to sexual acts without their permission. The Gender-Motivated Violence Act window is between March 1st, 2023 and March 1st, 2025, with more suits expected to be filed before the end of the week.
The first suit from Aristalia Benitez alleges that in 1995, at the age of 20, she worked at Peppe Jeans and went to a party which Combs attended. While sipping on a non-alcoholic drink, Combs is said to have “forcibly groped and fondled [her] breasts, butt, and genital area under her clothes.” Benitez claims she woke up in a taxi with a sore groin and a covered fare. She says she was vaginally penetrated by Combs and his associates while unconscious.
The second lawsuit from Justin Gooch claims he was given ketamine and anally penetrated by Combs without consent. The incident allegedly took place at New York City nightclub Tunnel in 1999 when Gooch was 16 after Combs invited him to the bathroom. Afterwards, Combs is said to have told the man, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
A third lawsuit from Leslie Cockrell recounts an incident in 1999 when she was 24. At a party in the Hamptons, Combs allegedly gave her a drink and touched her while giving her a tour around the house. She says the mansion was “packed inside and outside with naked people who were engaging in sexual activities together.”
Cockrell claims she woke up to Combs vaginally penetrating her without consent, having previously felt woozy after her second drink. She was allegedly sore and told not to tell anyone.
In the final lawsuit, Kendra Haffoney claims Combs “guided her head down to have her perform oral sex on him” in a backroom of an afterparty after taking a drink she believes was laced. She alleges “her vaginal area felt sore” after waking up with Combs at the end of the bed. At the time, she was said to be working for the VH1 reality show I Want to Work for Diddy.
In a statement to Variety, Combs’ legal team said, “No matter how many lawsuits are filed—especially by individuals who refuse to put their own names behind their claims—it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than a collection of media headlines, stitched together with fragments from other lawsuits and baseless rumors. With the deadline for New York’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act expiring tomorrow, opportunists are scrambling to file last-minute, meritless claims.”
The statement concluded, “We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason, but that does not make the claims true. Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail in court.” Combs, who has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, is set to begin his trial on May 5th. Until then, he will remain at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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