Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sued again, this time for alleged sex trafficking, sexual assault, and other allegations, TMZ and the Los Angeles Times report. Adria English, a former adult-film star, says Diddy hired her to work as a “go-go dancer” at a party in 2004, before rehiring her for parties where she alleges her drinks were laced with narcotics and she was eventually coerced into having sex with guests. One such guest, she claims, was celebrity jeweler Jacob “the Jeweler” Arabo, who is named in the lawsuit, along with several of Diddy’s enterprises, two media companies, a woman who allegedly facilitated the sex trafficking, and two people who are not named. Diddy has denied the claims.
In the lawsuit, English alleges that Diddy “groomed” her into sex trafficking as she attended more of his white parties, particularly when he learned of her background in adult entertainment. To refuse his “demands was not an option,” she says in the lawsuit, adding that Diddy threatened to blackball her and her boyfriend from the modeling industry if she did not comply. The music magazine Vibe is also named in the lawsuit for allegedly providing resources for the parties, inflicting emotional distress connected to the alleged sex trafficking, and publicizing her likeness in an article on the parties.
Jonathan Davis, an attorney for Diddy, said in a statement emailed to Pitchfork, “No matter how many lawsuits are filed it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court.”
English’s complaint is the ninth filed against Diddy since November, when Cassie sued him for rape, sex trafficking, and years of physical violence. That suit was quickly settled, but several of the lawsuits are ongoing, as is a federal sex trafficking investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. He has denied all charges against him.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741