What we learned from the dozens of lawsuits against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

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When Cassie Ventura filed her November 2023 lawsuit against her former boyfriend Sean Combs, her story of exploitation and abuse became a road map, charting a course for dozens of people to come forward with their own allegations of sexual assault against one of the most powerful music producers in the world. Though Ventura reached a settlement the day after her complaint was filed, her lawsuit marked the beginning of what would become a #MeToo music reckoning of sprawling proportions.

Several striking patterns emerge in the 78 sexual assault lawsuits filed against Combs as of May 1, four of which have been settled, dropped or dismissed. Like Ventura’s, many suits involve young artists or aspiring entertainers who believed Combs could make or break their careers. According to their lawsuits, many also found themselves assaulted after being lured into his world – allegedly humiliated, abused, beaten or threatened in settings that include lavish parties, hotel rooms and Combs’s famous Bad Boy Records in New York.

And many – including Ventura – recount being offered what they believed to be drugs or a spiked drink before losing consciousness.

In other ways, some of the subsequent lawsuits diverge from Ventura’s. There are almost as many male as female accusers. About one-fifth of the plaintiffs allege they were minors when they were assaulted. And whereas Ventura came out publicly with her accusations, dozens of other plaintiffs have pseudonymously filed lawsuits as Jane and John Does, many claiming they fear retribution.

Combs has denied all allegations against him. Here are the most prominent patterns we noticed in the sexual assault lawsuits.

Most accusers allege they were drugged

About two-thirds of the plaintiffs who have sued Combs – at least 65 of them – allege that spiked alcoholic beverages and other drugs played a role in their assaults, often at drug-and-alcohol-fueled parties he hosted.

Ventura alleged in her lawsuit that Combs introduced her to “a drug-fueled lifestyle that kept her complacent and compliant.” She claimed that he introduced her to opiates around 2008 – after she signed to his record label and began a years-long romantic relationship with him. She said Combs would often have pills and other drugs laying around “like candy.”

Scores of lawsuits paint a similar picture of Combs’s lifestyle, where drugs were allegedly omnipresent and pushed on plaintiffs, or slipped into their drinks. Rodney Jones, a music producer who worked on Combs’s latest project, “The Love Album,” alleged in his lawsuit that he witnessed rampant use and transportation of drugs, including of pink cocaine. He believes Combs drugged him on one occasion around February 2023, after which he allegedly woke up “naked, dizzy, and confused” in bed with Combs and two sex workers.

Complaints initially filed by Texas personal injury attorney Tony Buzbee allege that Combs and his employees regularly laced drinks with drugs such as the depressant GHB and ecstasy, “drugging unsuspecting victims in order to make it easier for Combs to sexually assault that person.” Some allege they had one drink when they started to feel light-headed, leading them to believe they were drugged.

Combs has not directly addressed allegations of drug use, but – following the release last year of a 2016 video where he is seen hitting and dragging Ventura – he posted an apology video and said he had sought help. “I hit rock bottom,” Combs said. “I went and I sought out professional help. I had to go into therapy … go into rehab.”

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Nearly as many men as women claim abuse

When the first wave of sexual assault cases were filed against Combs from November 2023 to September 2024, most of the plaintiffs were women. Among them were Crystal McKinney, a former model, who filed her lawsuit in May 2024 and Dawn Richard, a “Making the Band” and Danity Kane alum who sued in July.

But a wave of anonymous lawsuits, many of which were filed by Buzbee starting in October, contributed to a growing number of male accusers. Out of the 86 people named as plaintiffs in the lawsuits, 47 of them are women and 39 of them are men.

Like the women, many of these men allege they were forcibly assaulted by Combs and his associates. They include Jones; a luxury car and jewelry businessman; a personal trainer later revealed as Joseph Rose; and an actor.

Combs views all the lawsuits against him as a “money grab,” his attorney told The Washington Post, claiming his fame and success made him “an easy target for accusers who attempt to smear him.”

More than half of the accusers used a pseudonym

At least 49 plaintiffs filed their suits anonymously, as Jane or John Does. In many cases, accusers cited fears of retaliation and concerns for their personal safety as reasons for requesting anonymity – underscoring the power and influence they say Combs used to victimize them. Others said they wanted to use a pseudonym to protect their emotional well-being.

“[Jane Doe] fears embarrassment and further psychological damage if her identity as a victim of sexual abuse became public knowledge,” one lawsuit read.

Whether a plaintiff can proceed anonymously is dependent on the judge and the facts of the particular case. For instance, in the case of Candice McCrary, who had previously filed as Jane Doe in October, a judge denied her request to use a pseudonym on the grounds that the need for fairness in the legal process outweighed the woman’s desire for privacy.

So far, at least five of Combs’s anonymous accusers have amended their lawsuits to include their names.

Some say they were under 18 when they were allegedly assaulted

Our research found that 18 accusers allege they were younger than 18 when they were sexually assaulted by Combs. According to their complaints, their ages at the time of the alleged abuse ranged from 13 to 17 years old.

In one alleged incident from 2020, an anonymous accuser said she was 15 years old when Combs paid for her and other girls to be brought to a party in Miami, where she was sexually assaulted by multiple men. The plaintiff said she also witnessed Combs having sex with a girl she estimated to be 12 or 13.

One accuser, who claimed she was 13 at the time of her alleged assault at a party in 2000, admitted to inconsistencies in her story and her suit was later dismissed.

Combs has denied all allegations against him. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor,” his attorney Erica Wolff told The Post in November.

Many claim that Combs preyed on their career ambitions

At least 20 accusers say they were aspiring artists or trying to gain a foothold in the entertainment business when they encountered Combs. According to some complaints, the hip-hop mogul leveraged his extensive connections in music, fashion and Hollywood – luring people with audition opportunities, studio time, invitations to exclusive parties or promises to connect them to powerful industry figures.

One lawsuit filed by April Lampros alleges that she was a college student studying fashion design and marketing when she met Combs in the 1990s. “Ms. Lampros shared with him her dreams of working in the fashion industry, and Mr. Combs promised to mentor her and help her by introducing her to music and fashion industry executives as well as assisting her with finding work,” read her complaint, which went on to detail years of alleged sexual assault by Combs.

A lawsuit filed by an anonymous male accuser in February said he was sexually assaulted by Combs after the rapper approached him at a party, expressed interest in his music and suggested he might sign him to his label.

And four separate lawsuits – filed by Richard, Sara Rivers and two anonymous accusers – detail alleged misconduct and sexual assaults that took place while auditioning or appearing on Combs’s MTV reality series, “Making the Band.”