Hip-hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs has reacted to a fresh sexual assault suit filed by Joi Dickerson-Neal, describing it as “purely a money grab and nothing more”.
In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Dickerson-Neal accused the 54-year-old of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 1991 while she was a college student at Syracuse University, New York.
The lawsuit was filed days after the rapper had an out-of-court settlement with ex-girlfriend, Cassie, who accused him of drugging and raping her over the course of 13 years.
According to the fresh lawsuit, Dickerson-Neal said the incident occurred at a house that the rapper allegedly drove her to after she went on a date with him at a Harlem restaurant and they both visited a recording studio.
The claimant said she suspected her meal had been laced with drugs as she was barely conscious and could not stand by her feet when she tried to get out of his car.
She further claimed that the rapper recorded a video of him raping her and showed the video to others in an act described as “revenge porn”.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday under the New York Adult Survivors Act.
Under the Act, anyone who was 18 years of age or older at the time of an alleged offence has a one-year window— from November 24, 2022, to November 23, 2023— to file a civil lawsuit against their alleged abusers.
Meanwhile, a representative for Diddy denied the allegations, saying the lawsuit was nothing more than a “money grab”.
“This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head.
“Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible.
“Mr. Combs never assaulted her and she implicates companies that did not exist.
“This is purely a money grab and nothing more,” Diddy’s rep said in a statement.