Another woman has filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing the music mogul and his head of security, Joseph Sherman, of raping her and recording the assault at his New York recording studio in 2001. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, follows Combs’ recent arrest and the unsealing of a federal sex trafficking indictment against him.
The plaintiff, Thalia Graves, alleges that in 2001, when she was 25, Combs and Sherman lured her to a meeting at Bad Boy Recording Studios under the pretense of a business discussion. Graves, who was dating an executive working for Combs at the time, claims she was given a drink that was likely drugged. She says she lost consciousness and woke up bound in Combs’ office, where she was raped, physically assaulted, and subjected to emotional torment as the men ignored her pleas for help.
At a news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, Graves tearfully described the long-term impact the attack has had on her life, including flashbacks, nightmares, and severe emotional distress. “It has been hard for me to trust others, form healthy relationships, or even feel safe in my own skin,” she said.
Combs is currently being held without bail in New York on federal charges, which allege he operated a large criminal network to facilitate sexual crimes and committed violent acts to protect himself and his associates. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Video of rape was shared as pornography
Graves’ lawsuit also claims that after Combs’ former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit against him last year, Graves learned that her rape had been recorded and shared as pornography without her knowledge. According to the lawsuit, both Combs and Sherman repeatedly threatened Graves in the years following the assault, warning her not to disclose what had happened.
Filed under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and calls for the destruction of any copies of the video recording. Several companies owned by Combs are also named as defendants in the suit.
Allred declined to comment on whether Graves has cooperated with investigators in Combs’ ongoing criminal case, which currently focuses on allegations dating from 2008 onwards.
