Civil lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs are mounting. That could have a negative impact on his criminal case, experts say

CNN
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are demanding that prosecutors reveal the names of his accusers, telling the judge overseeing his sex trafficking case that the government is “unfairly” forcing the music producer to “play a guessing game” while the defense is preparing for trial.

Combs’ latest filing comes amid a flood of new civil accusers coming forward in lawsuits after he was arrested last month and charged with three felonies.

In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday, Combs’ lawyers wrote: “The government has asserted that there are ‘multiple’ victims but has not identified any.” They wrote that the task of identifying the individuals was the focus the government’s case is complicated by a “bunch of unfounded allegations” from “desperate” and “opportunistic” plaintiffs.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.

Combs, who is in federal custody in Brooklyn awaiting trial, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Federal prosecutors have accused Combs of orchestrating a “criminal enterprise” through his business empire that involved, among other things, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping and decades of physical abuse of women. They claim he did not act alone. His trial is scheduled to begin in May 2025.

In the month since Combs was arrested, eight additional civil lawsuits have been filed against him over allegations sexual assault. A legal expert told CNN that the flood of lawsuits could potentially serve as a roadmap of sorts for the government as prosecutors continue their investigation.

“When civil suits are filed against new victims, that’s definitely a way to find out something about them — if the government didn’t already know about those victims,” said attorney Jennie Wang VonCannon, a former federal prosecutor who has no connection to Combs or any of them his accuser said.

“The sheer number of (accusers) increases the likelihood many times over that this is conduct that the government didn’t know about or hasn’t charged yet, and that could be the tipping point as they consider a replacement “to file additional charges or add additional defendants who were part of the alleged conspiracy,” added Wang VonCannon, who previously tried human trafficking and RICO cases for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and is currently a partner at the law firm Crowell & Moring.

Since Combs’ arrest, prosecutors have indicated that their investigation is ongoing. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams encouraged victims to “come forward and do it quickly” on the day charges against the musician were dropped.

Then, at a status hearing earlier this month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said a superseding indictment could affect the length of the trial — meaning additional charges or defendants could be added.

A source familiar with parts of the federal investigation said new prosecutors and witnesses have met with federal agents since Combs’ arrest.

The Department of Homeland Security and SDNY declined to comment on the current status of the investigation or whether new charges would actually be filed.

Six of the new lawsuits came this week via Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who said in a news conference earlier this month that he was representing at least 120 new Combs accusers.

Since November 2023, at least 18 civil lawsuits have been filed against Combs. The first lawsuit, filed by his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, was settled a day after it was filed. The others remain active.

Combs had previously denied all wrongdoing alleged in the various lawsuits. In 2016, after CNN released hotel surveillance footage showing Combs dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Ventura, he apologized in a video shared on social media.

Combs’ defense is trying to prevent this video from being used as evidence in his trial. In a filing last week, his lawyer accused the government of leaking evidence, including surveillance video, to the media, but provided no evidence to support those claims.

The six new accusers who came forward this week each made separate allegations of sexual assault that allegedly occurred between 1995 and 2021. The anonymous accusers, all represented by Buzbee and his co-counsel Andrew Van Arsdale, a San Diego-based attorney, are both male and female. An accuser claims he was 16 years old when he was allegedly attacked at one of Combs’ infamous white parties in the Hamptons in 1998.

Combs’ lawyers did not respond to specific allegations in the recent lawsuits, but denied the allegations and told CNN that Combs maintains his innocence.

“Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone – adults or minors, men or women,” his lawyers said in a statement this week.

Another accuser, who filed her lawsuit after the indictment, claims her alleged sexual assault was filmed without her consent. And another alleged victim, who also filed suit after Combs’ arrest, said in her lawsuit that she was drugged, sexually abused and impregnated with allegations from 2024.

Wang VonCannon said it was possible that charges were filed against Combs before the investigation was complete because prosecutors may believe he was dangerous and was tampering with witnesses, as they said when he was denied bail. Combs’ team rejected the government’s claim that he interfered with witnesses in their appeal for Combs’ imprisonment.

“The government’s statements during Combs’ bail hearing about his danger to the community appear to be an integral part of why they filed these charges so quickly,” said Wang VonCannon. “They wanted to get him off the streets because they thought he was a danger to the community. One could imagine a world in which they had everything they needed for what was charged in the indictment. But given the scope of the indictment, even in its current form, it appears to be part of a larger pattern of activity that may also implicate other crimes.”

According to two sources familiar with the investigation who spoke to CNN, additional prosecutors feel emboldened to report Combs behind bars.

Months before Combs’ arrest, sources told CNN that the majority of plaintiffs who had filed civil suits against Combs at the time had been interviewed by federal investigators as they prepared witnesses to testify before the grand jury.

An accuser of Combs, who has already met with federal investigators, also told CNN that she has direct knowledge of other alleged victims who have also met with federal agents since Combs’ arrest. That accuser said that even though more people were coming forward, there was still fear of retaliation because Combs has long been one of the most influential rappers and most successful music moguls of all time.

“He still has some influence,” this accuser told CNN.

CNN’s Kara Scannell contributed to this story.