A new lawsuit has been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging that he and his bodyguard, Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman, sexually assaulted a woman at the Bad Boy Records studio in the summer of 2001.
Thalia Graves, the plaintiff, claims that she was “viciously raped” by Combs and Sherman, and that the assault was filmed and distributed without her consent, including being sold as pornography.
According to court documents, Graves was in a relationship with one of Combs’ employees at the time of the alleged assault, and was going through a divorce and family issues. She did not report the incident for decades, fearing that Combs and Sherman would use their power to ruin her life, as they had threatened to do.
The alleged assault has left Graves with lasting physical and emotional trauma, including chronic pain, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. She has also struggled with shame, guilt, and a fear of leaving her house.
At a press conference, Graves’ attorney, Gloria Allred, announced the lawsuit, calling the allegations a “violation of New York City’s victims of gender-motivated violence protection law.” Allred stated that the lawsuit will not overlap with the existing criminal charges against Combs, who is accused of using his music empire to engage in sex trafficking and has a pattern of abusing women.
Combs was arrested on September 16 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has been denied bail twice and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
