Sean Combs sexual misconduct allegations

American rapper and record executive Sean Combs, better known by his stage name Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy), has faced repeated accusations of sexual misconduct for incidents dating from 1990 to 2023. He has faced at least 10 civil lawsuits related to abuse and sexual misconduct, and has also faced accusations of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. He pleaded not guilty to all his federal criminal charges from 2024.^[1]

Between November and December 2023, Combs was accused of sexual misconduct by four women including his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who alleged that she had been raped, trafficked, and physically assaulted by Combs multiple times under a period of ten years.^[2] Over the next few months, numerous civil complaints were filed by claimants who alleged that they had been sexually abused by Combs between 1990 and 2009, and many more are in the planning stages as of October 2024. He was further accused of sexual assault by his former producer Rodney Jones in February 2024 and, in September of the same year, he was federally charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.^[3][4]

On October 1, 2024, the Washington Post reported that a team of lawyers will be filing as many as 120 more lawsuits, covering assaults that took place during the 2000s and 2010s. Plaintiffs, 25 of whom are minors, are both male and female. Half of the alleged victims say they reported the assault to police, to a doctor, or to the FBI. Some claim to have been drugged or offered hush money. Additional potential defendants other than Combs are also to be named in the lawsuits.

Combs' trial began on May 5, 2025.^[5][6] Opening statements and witness testimony started on May 12, 2025.^[7]