‘Diddy’ Combs asks decide to dismiss ‘false’ declare that he and others raped 17-year-old woman

World Courant

Sean “Diddy” Combs requested a federal decide on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging he and two co-defendants raped a 17-year-old woman at a New York recording studio in 2003. He mentioned it was a “false and appalling declare”. which was submitted too late in accordance with the legislation.

The authorized motion is the most recent pushback from the 54-year-old hip-hop mogul and his authorized workforce after he was subjected to a number of related lawsuits and a subsequent felony investigation into intercourse trafficking.

“Mr. Combs and his corporations categorically deny the plaintiff’s decades-old narrative towards them, which has brought on incalculable injury to their popularity and enterprise standing earlier than any proof was offered,” mentioned the submitting, which additionally contains corporations owned by Combs are named as defendants. “Plaintiff can’t declare what day or time of 12 months the alleged incident occurred, however miraculously remembers different salacious particulars regardless of her alleged incapacity.”

The lawsuit was filed in December and amended in March by the lady who now lives in Canada and whose identify was not included within the lawsuit. She mentioned she was in eleventh grade at a suburban Detroit highschool in 2003 when Harve Pierre, then the president of Combs’ report label Dangerous Boy Leisure, flew her to New York on a personal jet and took her to a recording studio introduced. , the place she was given medicine and alcohol till she was now not in a position to consent to intercourse. Then, the lawsuit mentioned, Pierre, Combs and a person she didn’t know took turns raping her.

The lawsuit included pictures of the lady sitting on Combs’ lap that she mentioned have been taken on the night time in query.

The protection is asking that the case be “dismissed now, with prejudice” – which means it can’t be refiled – “to guard the Combs defendants from additional reputational injury and earlier than additional occasion and judicial assets are wasted .”

One of many plaintiff’s attorneys, Michael J. Willemin, mentioned in a press release in response to the submitting: “At this level, nobody ought to take something ‘ididdy’ or his attorneys severely. Right this moment’s movement is merely a determined try by Combs to keep away from accountability for Ms. Doe’s allegations of gang rape and sexual assault. It is not going to work.”

At this early stage within the lawsuit, arguments are procedural relatively than primarily based on the information of the case.

A number of the lawsuits filed towards Combs contain decades-old allegations and are amongst greater than 3,700 authorized claims filed beneath New York’s Grownup Survivors Act, which briefly suspended sure authorized deadlines to provide sexual assault victims a last alternative to file a lawsuit alleging abuse that occurred for years. and even a long time in the past.

The brand new deadlines set by that legislation have been expiring, however the lawsuit Combs filed by Friday was filed beneath a special legislation, New York Metropolis’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Safety Regulation. That metropolis legislation additionally permits plaintiffs to file civil complaints associated to sexual assault claims after the statute of limitations has expired.

However Combs’ movement argues the lawsuit was filed too late as a result of town legislation is undermined by state legislation, whose provisions imply the lawsuit needed to be filed earlier than August 2021 to be well timed.

“New York state legislation trumps New York Metropolis legislation with out exception,” the submitting mentioned.

The amended model of the lawsuit filed in March tried to handle a few of these points, however Combs’ attorneys argue it didn’t go far sufficient.

The decide has dominated that the lady should reveal her identify if the trial continues after this problem.

The Related Press usually doesn’t identify individuals who say they have been sexually assaulted except they arrive ahead publicly, as a few of Combs’ accusers have performed.

Friday’s protection additionally criticized the lawsuit for together with “a risqué, legally irrelevant ‘set off warning’ meant to attract consideration to the salacious and wicked allegations.”

The general public airing of allegations towards Combs started with a November lawsuit by singer Cassie, his former protégé and girlfriend, alleging assault, rape and different abuse between 2005 and 2018. The grievance, filed by the identical attorneys who filed the lawsuit, was challenged on Friday, was settled the day after submitting. Combs denied the allegations via his legal professional earlier than the settlement.

Extra lawsuits have been filed towards Combs within the following months. Then on March 25, Homeland Safety Investigations served search warrants at his houses in Los Angeles and Miami in a intercourse trafficking investigation. His lawyer referred to as it “a gross use of drive at a army degree.” The investigation continues. Combs has not been charged.

Final month, Combs filed a movement to dismiss a lawsuit introduced by Joi Dickerson, who mentioned she was a 19-year-old faculty pupil when Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her.

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Related Press Leisure author Jonathan Landrum contributed to this report.

‘Diddy’ Combs asks decide to dismiss ‘false’ declare that he and others raped 17-year-old woman

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