More than 100 people want to sue rappers

More than 100 people are expected to sue rap musician Sean “Diddy” Combs for sexual assault, rape and sexual exploitation, a U.S. attorney said.

Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said the alleged victims include minors abused as young as nine years old.

“This is an important matter that we intend to pursue vigorously,” Mr. Buzbee told reporters.

Erica Wolff, a lawyer representing Mr. Combs, said the rapper “strongly and categorically” denies the allegations and maintains they are “false and defamatory.”

At a news conference on Tuesday, Mr. Buzbee said that he and his team will “leave no stone unturned to find potentially liable parties” for the alleged abuse, or “any individual or organization that participated in or benefited from this egregious behavior.” “.

Ms Wolff said in a statement to the BBC that Mr Combs “looks forward to proving his innocence and justifying himself in court, where the truth will be determined based on evidence and not speculation.”

The lawsuit is the latest against Mr. Combs.

Mr. Combs was arrested last month and faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He is currently in federal custody after being denied bail, which he is appealing.

He has denied all allegations of criminal wrongdoing.

According to Mr. 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 half women, hailing from more than 25 states in the United States.

He added that 25 of the alleged victims he represents are minors. This is the first time Mr. Combs has been accused of child sexual abuse.

The allegations date from 1991 to this year, with the incidents occurring in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, Mr. Buzbee said. He added that most of the incidents occurred after 2015.

Most of the plaintiffs, he said, allege they were raped after parties hosted by Mr. Combs, which took place at well-known venues as well as private homes and hotels.

Mr Buzbee said the parties were either to mark the release of an album or were New Year's Eve parties and US Independence Day parties. Others appeared at auditions, he said.

“Oftentimes, especially young people who wanted to get into the industry, they were forced into this type of behavior with the promise of becoming a star or having Sean Combs listen to their tapes,” Buzbee said.

A man who was 9 at the time claims he was sexually abused by Mr. Combs and his associates at a New York recording studio as he tried to get a recording contract, according to his lawyer.

“If he hadn't been in power, I think I could have achieved something great. I left the industry because of what Sean Combs did to me,” he said in a statement released by his attorney.

Another man, who was also underage at the time, claimed that Mr. Combs told him he would be made a “star” but that he would first have to visit the rapper alone and without his parents.

In a private setting, his lawyer claimed Mr Combs then asked the boy to perform oral sex on him.

Mr. Buzbee also brought up the case of a then-15-year-old girl who claimed she was flown to a party hosted by Mr. Combs in New York and then raped by him and others.

The lawyer claimed there was a clear modus operandi whereby alleged victims were typically offered “laced” drinks before being sexually assaulted.

“The entertainment industry’s biggest secret has finally been revealed to the world,” Mr. Buzbee said. “The wall of silence has now been broken.”

He added that this is not a class action lawsuit and that an individual lawsuit will be filed for each alleged victim.

Andrew Van Arsdale, a lawyer with the AVA legal group who works with Mr. Buzbee, said his firm had received more than 3,000 calls from people alleging abuse by the music mogul.

In addition to the 120 alleged victims, his firm is working to review another 100 cases, he said.