An individual, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has alleged that the well-known rapper, Sean "Diddy" Combs, drugged and assaulted them at an exclusive after-party held in Los Angeles back in 2015.
It appears that Sean "Diddy" Combs is continuing to achieve success in legal proceedings. This comes just two months after he was largely exonerated in a high-profile criminal trial.
On Tuesday, the influential hip-hop mogul secured a favourable ruling that saw a civil lawsuit dismissed. This lawsuit had accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting a 23-year-old man at an after-party in 2015.
A judge based in Manhattan stated that the case, which was formally submitted in February, had been brought forward significantly after the legal time limit, known as the statute of limitations, had expired under the laws of either New York or California, whichever might be applicable. The judge's official reasoning was:
"Because the action is untimely under both New York and California law, … it must be dismissed as to all defendants."
Tony Buzbee, the lawyer who represents the unnamed John Doe plaintiff, told Billboard on Wednesday that the ruling would not end the case:
“I wouldn’t call this a victory for Mr. Combs, at all,” Buzbee said. “We won’t allow Mr. Combs to escape a trial on the merits due to a technicality.”
This decision represents the second major legal triumph for Diddy following the verdict in his criminal proceedings.
Just earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed a substantial $60 million lawsuit initiated by Sara Rivers, a contestant from the popular show 'Making the Band 2'. This dismissal was based on the grounds that the lawsuit had been filed considerably beyond the legally permissible time limit.
These civil cases are but a fraction of the numerous lawsuits filed against Mr. Combs over the last couple of years, running concurrently with his high-profile federal criminal case. Despite having two of these civil claims dismissed, a significant number of other cases are still awaiting judgment from various judicial authorities.
Last month, Mr. Combs was largely acquitted in his criminal trial. The charges alleged that he coerced his girlfriends into participating in drug-fuelled sexual encounters with prostitutes, activities referred to as “freak-offs.” The jury ultimately found him not guilty of racketeering (RICO) and sex-trafficking charges. However, he was convicted on two counts pertaining to interstate prostitution.
He is presently incarcerated and awaiting his sentencing in October, which could potentially lead to a prison sentence spanning several years.
The case dismissed on Tuesday accused Combs of drugging and assaulting John Doe – “a music performer pursuing a career as a rapper and sing” – at a 2015 afterparty at Los Angeles’ QC’s 20/20 club. The victim said he drifted “in and out of consciousness” after drinking a spiked drink, then awoke to find Combs groping him and believed the star “had been performing oral sex on him.”
But in the ruling dismissing the case, the judge said Doe had only five years to file his case. Though a law was passed in 2019 that extended the statute of limitations to 20 years, the judge said that law did not apply retroactively.
“While Plaintiff contends that [the newer law] applies and affords him a 20-year period to file this action, this argument fails,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiff’s claim, filed in 2025, remains untimely under New York law.”
The accuser cited California state law as an alternative, arguing the state’s so-called lookback window for sexual assault claims allowed him to sue. But the judge rejected that argument too:
“The court concludes that the claim is untimely under California law as well.”
In his statement to Billboard on Wednesday, Buzbee said the ruling was “just another step in the process” and vowed to bring continue to litigate the claims against Combs in a different venue.
“The retroactive ability of the NY statute at issue was an open question. The court in New York has answered that question,” Buzbee said. “As with many cases like this one, we will refile it in California where the alleged assault occurred.”