Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at centre of new sexual assault lawsuit
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit, which was filed by April Lampros in New York on May 23rd.
Lampros claims she first met Combs in 1995 when she was a student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. The four instances of sexual assault allegedly took place over a period of many years, ranging from the mid-1990s to the early-2000s.
The filing has been made in a New York court, and has since been obtained by CNN, also includes allegations against Combs of battery, assault, and negligent infliction of emotional distress and violation of the victims of gender-motivated violence protection law. A county clerk is yet to review the legal document.
In a statement provided to CNN, Lampros said: “I’m confident that justice will prevail and the veil will be removed so no other woman will have to endure what I did.”
At the time of their first meeting, Lampros had ambitions to work in the fashion industry and claims Combs offered to help mentor her. However, according to the lawsuit, “What Mr. Combs displayed as kind gestures quickly manifested into an aggressive, coercive, and abusive relationship based on sex.”
The lawsuit alleges that in 1995 “she was laid on the hotel bed where Mr. Combs forced himself on top of her” at a New York hotel. It alleges that Lampros “pleaded with Mr. Combs to stop” and the next morning following the alleged rape, “she was nude, sore, and confused”.
Another instance allegedly occurred in 1996, Lampros claims she was forced to take ecstasy with one of Combs’ ex-girlfriends at his apartment before demanding the two women have sex, threatening her that “he could make her lose her job”. Following the alleged incident, the lawsuit then claims that Combs masturbated before raping Lampros.
The suit alleges: “She felt that if she disobeyed him, he would take away her dreams of pursuing a career in his world. Mr. Combs would also threaten to blacklist her in the industry if she tried to mess with him in any way. Ms. Lampros’ dreams and everything she’s been working hard for were in the palm of his hands.”
The case brought forward by Lampros is the eighth lawsuit made against Combs, who is yet to comment on the latest allegations, but has previously denied the accusations made against him.
Combs has also recently been accused of sexually assaulting and drugging a model in 2003, but he is yet to comment on the new case. Crystal McKinney alleges that she was forced to perform oral sex on him at his recording studio in New York City in 2003.
Meanwhile, Cassie Ventura broke her silence for the first time after Combs apologised for assaulting her in 2016 at a hotel.
In an Instagram post, Ventura wrote: “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”
This is a developing story.
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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