Diddy faces more than 120 new allegations of sexual abuse. Some testimonies from some minors
More than 120 people will sue rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs for sexual abuse and exploitation, a US attorney has said. Texas attorney Tony Buzbee said some of the alleged victims were minors and were abused when they were as young as nine.
"This is an important issue that we intend to pursue aggressively," Buzbee told reporters.
Erica Wolff, a lawyer representing Mr. Combs said the rapper denies the allegations, calling them "false and defamatory."
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Buzbee said he and his team will "leave no stone unturned to find the potentially responsible parties" in the alleged abuse, or "any individual or entity that participated or has benefited from this scandalous behavior".
Rapper Diddy was arrested last week and is facing criminal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He is currently in federal custody after being denied parole, which he is appealing.
According to Buzbee, who is licensed to practice law in Texas and New York, the total number of alleged victims he represents is 120, with half of them men and the other half women coming from more than 25 states across the US.
The charges span from 1991 to this year with incidents that occurred in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, Buzbee said.
He added that most of the incidents happened after 2015.
Most of the plaintiffs claim that they were raped after the parties organized by Mr. Combs that were held in popular locations as well as private residences and hotels.
"A lot of times, especially young people who wanted to break into the industry, they were coerced into this kind of behavior with the promise of stardom or the promise that Sean Combs would listen to their songs," Buzbee said.
One man, who was nine at the time, claims he was sexually abused by Mr. Combs and his associates at a New York recording studio while trying to land a record deal, according to his lawyer.
"If it wasn't for him, I could have been very successful. I left the industry because of what Sean Combs did to me," he said in a statement through his lawyer.
Another man, who was also a minor at the time, claimed he was told by Mr. Combs that he would become a "star", but he first had to visit the rapper alone without his parents.
After being alone with him in a private area, his lawyer claimed that Mr. Combs asked the boy to perform oral sex on him.
Buzbee also raised the case of a then 15-year-old girl who claims she was taken to New York for a party hosted by Mr Combs and then raped by him and others.
"The biggest secret in the entertainment industry has finally been revealed to the world," said Buzbee. "The wall of silence has now been broken."
In addition to the 120 alleged victims, he said his firm was working to verify another 100 cases.