Sean “Diddy” Combs remains in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting a May 5 trial on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. The hip-hop mogul has pleaded not guilty on all charges and has been denied bail twice thus far.
Before and after his arrest, Combs has also been served 12 civil lawsuits for physical assault, rape and more. The indictment and many of the lawsuits name Combs’ numerous business ventures and claim they are complicit in financing and enabling the rapper’s abuse inside and outside of the recording studio. They also detail how Combs allegedly used his position of power in the entertainment industry to lure, coerce and silence those around him.
Here’s an ongoing list of notable people named in lawsuits and criminal investigations against Combs so far, excluding the accusers who have chosen not to reveal their names.
The R&B singer was in a personal and professional relationship with Combs for over a decade. In November 2023, Ventura filed a federal lawsuit against Combs alleging years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The lawsuit also named Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records, Epic Records and Combs Enterprises. A day after the filing, the two parties settled the trafficking, rape and physical assault case out of court — but Ventura’s willingness to come forward opened the floodgates for nearly a dozen other lawsuits against Combs.
The pair reportedly met in 2005, when Ventura was 19 and Combs was 37. The following year, Ventura signed a deal with Bad Boy Entertainment and released her self-titled debut album. Ventura’s lawsuit alleged this was the beginning of Combs’ coercion and abuse, which she said completely took over her life and included forcing her to take illicit substances, forcing her to participate in sex with male sex workers while Combs filmed her — encounters Combs referred to as “freakoffs” — and frequent beatings. The lawsuit stated that the beatings were often witnessed by Combs’ staff, employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs’ affiliated businesses.
Earlier this year, CNN published footage dated to 2016 that showed Combs repeatedly hitting and kicking Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Shortly after, Ventura took to Instagram to address the video and subsequent public response. “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” she wrote. “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 article was originally published in npr.org