Sean “Diddy” Combs has denied in a legal filing that he raped a woman 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17, as she alleged in a lawsuit filed in December.
The woman, identified in her lawsuit only as Jane Doe, has alleged Combs, along with Harve Pierre, a former president of Combs’ record label, and an unnamed individual, took turns raping her. The suit names Combs, Pierre, Daddy’s House Recordings and Bad Boy Entertainment as defendants.
A response filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, states that Combs “never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise,” relating to the woman “in any circumstance whatsoever.” The response also questions the legitimacy of photos included in the lawsuit. The woman’s suit includes four images that her attorney says were taken in Combs’ recording studio on the night of the alleged assaults. In one of the photos, she appears to be sitting on Combs’ lap. Her face is blurred in the images.
Combs “avers that the context, genuineness, and/or accuracy of the photographs are disputed,” his attorneys say in the filing.
Combs’ attorneys also argue that the lawsuit should be thrown out because the Victims of Gender-Motivated Protection Law, under which it was filed, is unconstitutional.
“Plaintiff’s decision to wait more than two decades to file her Complaint has prejudiced Defendant, as he has lost the ability to defend himself fully and fairly in this action,” Comb’s response states, adding that “some or all evidence that otherwise would have been available if the action had been promptly commenced may be unavailable, lost, or compromised.”
In a separate response also filed Tuesday, Pierre said he never participated in the sexual assault of Doe nor did he ever witness anyone else sexually assaulting her.
Doe is the fourth person to file a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of sexual assault. Combs’ attorneys have requested in court filings that her identity be disclosed. A judge has not yet ruled on the matter.
“The deeply troubling allegations against the defendants by multiple women speak for themselves,” Michael J. Willemin, an attorney for the woman, said in a statement Wednesday. “The ridiculous claim that the photos are somehow fake and the law at issue is unconstitutional are nothing more than desperate attempts to conjure a defense where none exists.”
The accuser is also being represented by Douglas Wigdor, the attorney who represented the singer, model and actress Cassie in her federal lawsuit against Combs. Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, a former longtime romantic partner of Combs,’ was signed to his record label. She sued Combs in mid-November in federal court, alleging that he raped and repeatedly beat her over nearly a decade. The case was settled a day after it was filed. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Combs’ lawyer, Ben Brafman, has said the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
The other cases against Combs are still pending. In a December statement, he denied the allegations saying “enough is enough” and called the claims against him “sickening.”
“Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth,” he said in the statement.
Doe alleges in her lawsuit that she was 17 and in the 11th grade when she met Pierre at a lounge in the Detroit area. Pierre was the president of Bad Boy Entertainment at the time, but is no longer employed there. The suit says that Pierre complimented her and then began talking about Combs, whom he described as his “best friend,” and he eventually called Combs to introduce him to Doe. Combs, who was twice her age at the time, convinced her to accompany Pierre and a third defendant identified in her suit as “The Third Assailant,” on a private jet to come to his studio in New York City, the suit alleges. She said Pierre and another man flew her to New York on a private jet and took her to a recording studio, where she was plied with drugs and alcohol. Pierre, Combs and a man she didn’t know then took turns raping her, her lawsuit says.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
