A timeline of the sexual misconduct allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs as he awaits trial

In the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court and reviewed by Business Insider, Cassandra Ventura accused Combs of years of physical abuse, raping her in their home, and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. The pair had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2007 to 2018.

Ventura said in a statement that she was speaking up before the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act, a yearlong suspension on the normal time restrictions for sexual assault lawsuits, which ended on November 23, 2023.

"After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships," Ventura said.

Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, denied the allegation in a statement to Business Insider and accused Ventura of trying to "tarnish" Combs' reputation for money.

"For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura's persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail," Brafman said.

BI reported that Douglas Wigdor, Ventura's lawyer, said Combs offered Ventura an eight-figure sum to prevent her from speaking out before the suit was filed.

The next day, the Associated Press reported that Ventura and Combs had settled the suit. The agreement's details were not publicly disclosed.

On the eve of the expiration date for the Adult Survivors Act, two more women accused Combs of sexual abuse in separate lawsuits.

Business Insider reported that Joi Dickerson-Neal, one of the accusers, accused Combs of drugging her, sexually assaulting her, and videotaping the assault after a date in 1991. Dickerson-Neal said the incident caused her to become withdrawn, and that she was diagnosed later with clinical depression and dropped out of college.

The other accuser, who filed the suit without revealing her identity, said that Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall sexually assaulted her and a friend after a music industry event in 1990 or 1991, according to AP. The suit said that Combs came to their home a few days later to silence them and choked the woman until she passed out, per AP.

A representative for Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

A spokesperson for Combs told AP that Combs denied both allegations and said the women were exploiting the Adult Survivors Act.

Both cases were pending as of late February, NBC News reported.

Amid the numerous lawsuits, Revolt, a cable television network, announced on Instagram that Combs was stepping down as chairman.

Rolling Stone reported on December 3 that Hulu canceled an upcoming reality show project based on Combs and his family called "Diddy+7." Rolling Stone also said 23 brands severed ties with Combs' marketplace for Black-owned businesses, Empower Global.

The woman, who also filed the suit anonymously, alleged that Combs, his longtime producing partner Harve Pierre, and an unnamed third man "sex trafficked and gang raped" her in 2003 when she was 17, according to prior reporting by BI.

The lawsuit said Pierre flew the women to Combs' studio in New York, where they gave her drugs and alcohol until she was too inebriated to consent.

"While at the studio, Ms. Doe was gang raped by Mr. Combs, the Third Assailant and Mr. Pierre, in that order," the suit says. The suit also included photos of the accuser, with her face blurred, in the New York studio.

Combs denied the allegation on Instagram and declared he was going to "fight for my name, my family and for the truth."

"For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy," he said in a post at the time. "Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday."

Pierre didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

On February 20, 2024, Rolling Stone reported that Combs, Pierre, and Combs' company, Bad Boy Entertainment, filed a response to the lawsuit. Combs' lawyers refuted the allegation and questioned the accuracy of the photographs.

"(Combs) never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever," the filing says, per Rolling Stone.

Combs' lawyers also said the suit should be thrown out because they believe an amendment to the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act, which allowed the unnamed woman to sue Combs, is unconstitutional.

The 2022 amendment removes the statute of limitations for gender-based violence cases for two years, similar to the Adult Survivors Act.

Pierre also denied participating in any sexual assault when he filed his defense. Bad Boy Entertainment motioned to dismiss the suit against them, arguing there is no basis that the Gender-Motivated Violence Act expands to corporate defendants.

Tiffany Red is a singer-songwriter who became friends with Ventura in 2015 while working together. In December 2023, Red wrote an open letter in Rolling Stone to Combs, saying that she saw Combs verbally abusing Ventura after Ventura's 29th birthday party in August 2015.

Red said the incident occurred outside a private karaoke room that the group went to after the main party. According to Red, Combs pulled Ventura out of the room, cornered her with his security team, and "cursed her out with your hands in her face."

"I felt helpless. She looked afraid and kept looking down at the floor. I didn't know what to do. I was scared," Red said.

In response, Combs' spokesperson referred Rolling Stone to Combs' Instagram statement.

Jones' suit, filed in late February, lists several allegations against Combs.

The suit says Combs made Jones work in a bathroom while Combs walked around naked and showered. Jones also accused Combs of grabbing his genitals without consent, attempting to "groom" Jones into having sex with another man, and forcing Jones to "solicit sex workers and perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs."

Jones alleged in the suit he was not paid for his work on Combs' latest album, according to the New York Times. There is an online crowdfunding campaign with a statement reading "Help Me Sue Sean 'Diddy' Combs," which seems to have been started by Jones earlier this month.

Shawn Holley, an attorney for Combs, accused Jones of lying to get money from Combs.

"Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday," she said in a statement to BI. "His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."

Tyrone Blackburn, Jones' attorney, did not respond to a request to comment from BI.

Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes were searched by Department of Homeland Security officials in late March.

Representatives for DHS told BI that authorities "executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation" but declined to specify a target or reason behind the raids.

The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, citing law-enforcement sources, reported the search was part of a sex trafficking investigation.

Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, in a statement sent to BI the day after the search, maintained Combs' innocence and said the search conducted on his properties was "a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences."

"There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated," Dyer's statement read. "Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way."

Dyers' statement continued: "This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name."

A few days after the incident, Combs' ex-girlfriend Misa Hylton criticized the raid on Instagram, and shared a video that appeared to be taken from surveillance cameras at the rapper's home.

The video showed federal agents detaining Justin Dior Combs, Combs' 30-year-old son with Hylton, and Christian Combs, the rapper's 26-year-old son with the late Kim Porter, but neither was charged.

"The over zealous and overtly militarized force used against my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable," Hylton wrote in the caption.

The post has since been deleted.

On April 5, a woman named Grace O'Marcaigh filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court alleging Christian Combs assaulted her on a yacht where she was working, which was chartered by Combs in December 2022. Combs was listed as a co-defendant.

In the lawsuit, seen by BI, O'Marcaigh alleged Christian Combs became "aggressive" during one shift, violently grabbed her arm, and then drugged and sexually assaulted her.

O'Marcaigh said in the suit that her career was derailed due to the "trauma" of the alleged assault.

Aaron Dyer, Combs, and Christian Combs' attorney denied the allegations, and said the lawsuit was "lewd and meritless." Dyer also said they would file "a motion to dismiss this outrageous claim."

In late April, People reported that Combs' attorneys motioned to dismiss Dickerson-Neal's allegations of human trafficking and revenge porn, calling the claims "false, offensive, and salacious."

The attorneys said that the allegations "were brought under statutes that did not exist at the time the alleged misconduct occurred." They are referring to the New York State revenge porn law, which was codified in 2019, and the New York Services for Victims of Human Trafficking law, which did not come into effect until 2007.

In the filing, Combs' attorneys also requested that the allegations against the music mogul's companies, Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Enterprises, which were formed after the incident in 1991, be dismissed. Both companies were listed as defendants in Dickerson-Neal's initial filing.

Following Combs' motion, Michelle Caiola, Dickerson-Neal's attorney, told Business Insider in an email: "We will be filing a response in the coming weeks. We are confident Ms. Dickerson-Neal's allegations against Combs are strong, credible, and legally viable."

In surveillance footage from 2016, published by CNN on May 17, Combs can be seen physically assaulting Ventura.

The video shows Combs trailing his then-girlfriend down a hallway. He then grabs Ventura by the back of the neck, throws her down, kicks her twice, and drags her body across the floor. The footage corroborates an allegation in the federal lawsuit Ventura filed (and quickly settled) six months prior.

According to the lawsuit, this particular incident occurred at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. This was confirmed by CNN reporters who reviewed photos of the location.

In her complaint, Ventura said she tried to leave the hotel after Combs had punched her in the face, giving her a black eye. The uncovered footage seems to show the aftermath when Combs chased after Ventura as she ran to the elevator.

Venutra declined to provide a comment to CNN. Her attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, said in a statement: "The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light."

A few hours after the video was published, Ventura's husband Alex Fine also shared a statement on Instagram.

He captioned the post: "Wrote this awhile back but the words ring true not just today but everyday."

On May 19, Combs shared an Instagram video captioned: "I'm truly sorry."

"My behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," Combs said in the video. "I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now."

Combs said that he sought professional help, therapy, and rehab after the incident.

"I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to be a better man each and every day," he added. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry."

Combs has since deleted all Instagram posts on his account.

Representatives for Combs did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Meredith Firetog, Ventura's attorney, told CNN in a statement on Sunday: "Combs' most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt."

Firetog added that Combs' video was "disingenuous."

"That he was only compelled to 'apologize' once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words," she said.

Per a lawsuit obtained by Business Insider, former model Crystal McKinney said that when she was 22, she met Combs at a 2003 Men's Fashion Week event in Manhattan.

She accused Combs of giving her copious amounts of alcohol and pressuring her to take marijuana she believed was laced, according to the lawsuit.

McKinney said that she was invited to Combs' studio and claims that Combs forced her to perform oral sex on him, according to the lawsuit.

McKinney said that she became unconscious and later woke up in a cab, according to the lawsuit.

Representatives for Combs did not respond to a request for comment.

On May 23, Ventura shared a statement on Instagram thanking the public for their support and asking people to believe "victims the first time."

"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. "My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in."

Ventura also offered support to other victims of domestic violence.

"Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone never thought would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past," she wrote.

Ventura added: "I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don't cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone."

Later on that day, another woman, April Lampros, filed a lawsuit against Combs.

The lawsuit lists several allegations including sexual assault, battery, and assault. Lampros said she met Combs in 1994 while she was a student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology and he offered to mentor her at the time.

"What Mr. Combs displayed as kind gestures quickly manifested into an aggressive, coercive, and abusive relationship based on sex," the lawsuit said.

Lampros alleged that Combs sexually assaulted her on four occasions between 1995 and 2001, with the last encounter occuring a few years after the former fashion student ended her relationship with him.

Lampros also alleged that in 1996 Combs forced her and his former girlfriend Kim Porter to take ecstasy and have sex with each other while he watched.

Lampros is represented by Tyrone Blackburn, who represented Jones and other women suing Combs.

"I'm confident that justice will prevail and the veil will be removed so no other woman will have to endure what I did," Lampros told CNN in a statement.

On May 28, Rolling Stone published an investigation into Combs after interviewing his former friends, colleagues, and artists at his label, Bad Boy Records. The report featured new allegations against Combs, but he has not been sued in relation to these alleged incidents.

Three unnamed women who claimed they attended Howard University with Combs said they witnessed him assaulting a woman on campus.

The mother and two close friends of Shakir Stewart, a music executive who died in 2008, told Rolling Stone that Combs broke a chair over Stewart's head in 2000. They said Combs attacked him because Stewart tried to date Combs' ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter.

Kirk Burrowes, the former president of Bad Boy Records, and Felicia Newsome, the first manager of Bad Boy's recording studio, claimed that Combs attacked an unnamed woman inside the label's offices in 1994 and they had to pull the rapper off her.

Another woman, who went by the pseudonym of Anna, told Rolling Stone that Combs tried to solicit her for sex while she was working as a freelance graphic designer for Bad Boy Records in 2001.

Davis, Combs' attorney, told Rolling Stone in a statement that the rapper refused to respond to the new allegations.

"Mr. Combs cannot comment on settled litigation, will not comment on pending litigation, and cannot address every allegation picked up by the press from any source, no matter how unreliable," Davis said. "We are aware that the proper authorities are conducting a thorough investigation and therefore have confidence any important issues will be addressed in the proper forum, where the rules distinguish facts from fiction."

Representatives for Combs did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Combs' legal issues may escalate to a criminal trial, according to a CNN report published May 29.

CNN reported, citing unnamed sources, that federal investigators aim to bring Combs' accusers to testify in front of a federal grand jury. However, according to the CNN report, the case would be focused on sex trafficking, money laundering, and illegal drugs.

Grand juries, which are comprised of citizens, assess the evidence provided by prosecutors and determine whether there is enough "probable cause" to put an individual on trial.

The jury would determine if there is enough evidence to charge Combs. These hearings are held in secret, and only the prosecutors are present, giving the prosecution an advantage in getting an indictment.

CNN also reported, citing unnamed sources, that federal agents have already interviewed most of the people who have filed lawsuits against Combs and questioned individuals seen in a video filmed inside Combs' house.

Representatives for Combs did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

A representative for the Homeland Security Investigations agency declined to comment.

Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, who was incarcerated in a Michigan prison after criminal sexual misconduct and kidnapping, sued Combs on June 6th in Lenawee County Circuit Court in Michigan.

The Detroit Metro Times reported in September that Cardello-Smith accused the rapper of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party in Detroit in 1997. At the time of the alleged assault, Cardello-Smith was a restaurant and hospitality industry employee, the Detroit Metro Times said.

On July 3, The Los Angeles Times, Fox News, and TMZ reported that Adria English, a pornstar, accused Combs of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sex trafficking in a lawsuit filed in a district court in New York.

The LA Times reported English said she worked for Combs between 2004 and 2009 and accused him of forcing her to have sex with guests at his high-profile "white parties."

The publication reported that English claimed Combs forced her to have sex with guests, including celebrity jeweler Jacob Arabo, while she worked for Combs at his high-profile parties in Miami and New York between 2004 and 2009.

English said Combs threatened to "blackball" her from the entertainment industry if she did not engage in sex work at the parties. English said she went back to California in 2009 to escape Combs.

A representative for Arabo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Jonathan Davis, Combs' attorney, told Business Insider in a statement: "No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone."

"We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court."

On August 7, Cardello-Smith participated in a virtual hearing, which was live-streamed on YouTube, in his case against Combs after he filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against the rapper.

Cardello-Smith said he wanted the court to stop Combs from selling any of his assets that could be used to compensate Cardello-Smith for possible damages until after the case was over. Anna Marie Anzalone, the judge, approved this motion.

In the hearing, Cardello-Smith also claimed Combs visited the Earnest C. Brooks correctional facility in Michigan to offer Cardello-Smith $2.3 million to drop the case.

Combs filed a new motion in Jones' lawsuit against him, requesting the court to dismiss the case.

The motion said that Jones failed to provide enough evidence for multiple allegations.

"Jones' Second Amended Complaint is his third attempt to dress up a run-of-the-mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy," the motion reads. "Replete with legally meaningless allegations and blatant falsehoods, the SAC's true purpose is to generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement."

The motion also alleged that Jones posted a video on X in which he and rapper Uncle Murda joked about the lawsuit. The video no longer exists on Jones' X page, but the motion provides a link to another account that has reshared it.

According to the account @ArtOfDialogue, the video was taken at 50 Cent's Humor & Harmony weekend festival, which took place between August 7 to 11.

On August 26, Combs' lawyer Erica Wolff told Business Insider in a statement via email: "Mr. Jones's lawsuit is pure fiction — a shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement. There was no RICO conspiracy and Mr. Jones was not threatened, groomed, assaulted, or trafficked. We look forward to proving — in a court of law — that all of Mr. Jones's claims are made-up and must be dismissed."

Blackburn, Jones' attorney, responded to Combs' motion in a statement to Business Insider via email on August 28.

"Rodney Jones filed an affidavit under penalty of perjury to the truth of the matter asserted in the filing," Blackburn wrote. "Can Sean Combs do the same?! Sean Combs is a proven liar. He said Cassie was lying, and then, out of the blue, a video popped up of him beating her in the hallway. At the end of the day, Sean Combs word is as reliable as quicksand."

A day later, Jones spoke to Rolling Stone about working with Combs and why he decided to speak out.

Jones alleged that his first "uncomfortable" experience with Combs was "around Thanksgiving" when Combs asked him to do drugs. Jones didn't specify whether this was 2022 Thanksgiving or 2023 Thanksgiving.

"He's a monster. He'll do whatever is necessary to get exactly what he wants. He doesn't take no for an answer," Jones said of Combs.

Jones said the lawsuit has affected his career and he has found it "very tough" to find work since speaking out.

"Here I am standing up for justice, for what I believe is right for my life, and I'm being punished for that," Jones said. "I've had many nights and weeks and months of suicidal thoughts. It's the music that has kept me living all my life."

Jones also said he has received threats and is paranoid whenever he leaves his house. He said he hired security to protect him, but still had a "couple mental breakdowns" while performing a gig with T-Pain in June.

"My anxiety was out the roof," Jones said of the incident. "I saw different guys backstage I didn't know and got scared. I wondered where the security was. It made me very uncomfortable. It's not a good feeling wondering if someone was there to attack me."

On September 9, Judge Anzalone awarded Cardello-Smith $100 million in a default judgment after Combs failed to respond to the legal proceedings.

Marc Agnifilo, Combs' attorney, told Business Insider in an emailed statement: "This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years.

"His resume now includes committing a fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit. Mr. Combs looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed."

The Los Angeles Times reported on Sept. 11 that Combs will have to pay Cardello-Smith $10 million a month for 10 months starting from October 1 if he is unable to appeal the judgment.

A day later, Combs was hit with another lawsuit.

Dawn Richard, a former member of the R&B girl group Danity Kane, which was formed by Combs in 2005, accused the rapper of assault, sexual assault and harassment, sexual battery, and false imprisonment.

In her lawsuit, filed in New York's Southern District court, Richard alleged multiple instances in which the rapper groped her and verbally abused her while Danity Kane was signed to Combs' label, Bad Boy Records.

Richard said the harassment continued when she joined Diddy in Dirty Money, a musical trio formed in 2009 featuring Richard, Combs, and singer Kalenna Harper.

Richard also claimed she saw Combs choke and punch Ventura, whom Combs was dating at the time, on multiple occasions.

On Monday, People reported that Harper responded to the lawsuit on her Instagram Story on September 13.

In one of the Story posts, Harper wrote: "It's important to understand that while I was present in some of the same professional settings mentioned, many of the allegations and incidents described in this suit are not representative of my experiences, and some do not align with my own truth."

Harper denied that she and Tony Vick, her husband, were involved in or aware of any abusive or unlawful behavior. In the lawsuit, Richard claimed Harper witnessed Combs abusing Ventura and was also yelled at by Combs. Richard also said Harper once confided in her that Vick was abusive to her.

In an emailed statement to Business Insider on September 17, Combs' attorney Wolff denied the allegations.

"Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit," Wolff said. "In an attempt to rewrite history, Dawn Richard has now manufactured a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a pay day — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour."

"If Ms. Richard had such a negative experience with 'Making the Band' and Danity Kane, she would not have chosen to continue working directly with Mr. Combs for Dirty Money, nor would she have returned for the 'Making the Band' reboot in 2020 or agreed to be featured on 'The Love Album' last year."

Wolff added: "It's unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him, but Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court."

On Sept. 12, Combs' attorneys filed an emergency motion in the Cardello-Smith case, claiming that Combs was never served the summons for his missed trial.

In the motion, seen by Business Insider, Combs' attorneys asked the court to overturn the judgment and give them time to file a response to the complaint.

Combs' attorneys wrote: "This is a frivolous lawsuit against a prominent businessman, based on obvious fabrications, filed by a convicted rapist and serial litigant with an overactive imagination and a thirst for fame. Defendant, who was never served with this lawsuit, learned about Plaintiff and this action for the first time three days ago, when media outlets reported that this Court had entered a $100 million default judgment against him."

Combs' attorneys also wrote that the statute of limitations on Cardello-Smith's claim had expired before the case was filed.

Late on Sept. 16, Combs was arrested by federal authorities at the Park Hyatt New York Hotel in Manhattan, New York.

The next day, federal prosecutors announced on social media that Combs had been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

In the indictment, seen by Business Insider, federal prosecutors said: "For decades, Sean Combs abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."

The indictment also said Combs created a "criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."

According to the indictment, Combs "used force, threats of force, and coercion" to make victims participate in extended sex acts with sex workers. Combs referred to these as "freak offs."

After Combs was arrested, Combs' attorney Agnifilo told Business Insider via email that the arrest was "an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs."

"He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal," Agnifilo said. "To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court."

On September 17, Combs pleaded not guilty to all three charges in his first hearing in Manhattan federal court.

To keep Combs out of jail until the trial, his lawyer, Agnifilo, proposed a $50 million bond package and said the rapper planned to sell his private jet.

Prosecutors said Combs was a flight risk due to his wealth and could engage in witness tampering. Per a previous Business Insider report, assistant US Attorney Emily Anne Johnson said in the hearing that Combs and his associates had contacted witnesses in the investigation and tried to get them to change their stories.

Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied the bail and ordered Combs to remain in jail until his trial. Deadline reported that Agnifilo said they would appeal Tarnofsky's decision. The bail hearing was set for the next day.

About a week after Combs was arrested, yet another woman came forward and accused him of sexual assault.

In a complaint, Thalia Graves' lawyer, Gloria Allred, alleges that Combs and his bodyguard at the time, Joseph Sherman, raped her in 2001. Last year, Graves learned that the rape had been recorded and shown to multiple people, the complaint says.

At the time of the alleged rape, Graves was dating someone who worked for Combs' record label Bad Boy. Combs reached out to Graves, saying he wanted to discuss her boyfriend's career, and with Sherman, picked her up at her mother's home, offered her a glass of wine — which the lawsuit suggests was drugged — and brought her to Bad Boy studios, the complaint says.

In the lawsuit, Graves says she felt "woozy and sedated" and lost consciousness; when she woke up, she was tied up and then violently raped by both Combs and Sherman, the complaint says.

After the assault and in the years since, both Combs and Sherman reached out and threatened her to ensure her silence, the complaint says. Then, in November 2023, following Ventura's lawsuit, Graves' ex-boyfriend reached out and told her that Combs and Sherman had recorded and published a video of the attack, the lawsuit says, adding that he may have sold the video as pornography, too.

Combs' lawyer and Sherman did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

During a press conference on October 1, attorney Tony Buzbee said his firm and another called the AVA Law Group had received allegations against Combs by "more than 3,285 individuals."

"After vetting we now represent 120 individuals who intend to bring civil claims in civil court against Sean 'Diddy' Combs as well as claims against many other individuals and entities that we will name as defendants as we file these individual cases," Buzbee said.

Buzbee said the 120 individuals are from more than 25 states — with the majority living in California, New York, Georgia, and Florida — and their lawsuits would be filed individually in the next 30 days at different courts across the US. He added that the alleged incidents took place between 1991 to 2024, with the majority after 2015.

Buzbee said: "The claims we intend to bring will include the following: violent sexual assault or rape, sexual abuse, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, false imprisonment, compelling prostitution, sexual misconduct, dissemination of video recordings, and sexual abuse of minors."

Buzbee said half of the group are men, half women, and 25 were minors at the time of the alleged assaults.

"Our youngest victim at the time of the occurrence was nine years old. We have an individual who was 14 years old. We have one who was 15," Buzbee said.

Buzbee said that the legal teams started speaking to individuals in the months leading up to Combs' indictment in September the indictment itself encouraged more individuals to come forward.

He added that 55% of the individuals filed reports to the authorities or a hospital, and some had spoken to the FBI.

"You should know to the extent the clients feel comfortable, we also intend to make these individuals available to the authorities specifically to the FBI," Buzbee said.

Wolff, an attorney for Combs, told BI via email on October 2 that Combs "emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors."

"As Mr. Combs' legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus," Wolff said. "He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."

Buzbee filed the first of the 120 lawsuits on October 14.

The six lawsuits accuse Combs of rape, molesting a teenage boy, and sexual assault during incidents that occurred between 1995 and 2021.

One of the plaintiffs, a man identified as John Doe and living in North Carolina, accused Combs of molesting him when he was a minor at one of Combs' famous white parties.

In 1998, when he was 16, the plaintiff was hoping to connect with Combs to break into the music industry, according to the suit. When he ran into Combs at the party, the hip-hop mogul requested he "drop his pants and expose his penis so that Combs could inspect it," the complaint says.

Combs went on to fondle the plaintiff's genitals "for an extended period of time," the complaint says.

In another one of the lawsuits, a plaintiff, also identified as John Doe, accused Combs of orally raping him at Macy's flagship store.

Attorneys for Combs responded to the lawsuits by calling them an attempt to "garner publicity" and again denying that Combs ever committed sexual assault.

"Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process," the lawyers said. "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone—adult or minor, man or woman."

Correction: May 24, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the date that Cassie Ventura spoke out. It was May 23, 2024, not May 23, 2023