What was the first allegation against Diddy? A timeline of se*ual misconduct allegations against rapper since November 2023 as he pleads "not guilty"

Sean John Combs, also known as Diddy, is a renowned artist and the founder of Bad Boy Records. The three-time Grammy Awards winner created a successful empire over the decades of his career.

The father of seven children and singer whose tracks like I'll Be Missing You and Can't Nobody Hold Me Down topped the Billboard Hot 100 has been scrutinized since 2023.

The brick-by-brick-built fame and reputation began suffering when, on November 16, Cassie, Combs's ex-girlfriend, filed a lawsuit against him, accusing Combs of s*exual assault, r*pe, and abuse.

What followed next was several lawsuits, house raids, stepping away from business, jail, and trials. Below is a detailed timeline of the allegations made against Diddy.

Lawsuits That Began in November 2023: Key Details and Developments

Cassie, who was in a relationship with Combs since 2007 before calling it quits in 2018, filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan federal court on Nov 16, 2023. In the lawsuit, she accused Combs of years of abuse, regular hitting, and r*pe.

Cassie claimed that during the time they were together, Combs had extreme anger issues, and she suffered horrific episodes of abuse that left her bruised and bloodied. She also claimed that when they were separating in 2018, Combs r*ped her in her house.

Then on November 17, 2023, Cassie and Combs settled the lawsuit for an amount they didn’t disclose. Cassie, however, stated her attorney, Douglas Wigdor. In the statement, she said,

''I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control.’’

Combs responded to this by saying,

''We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”

On Nov 23, 2023, Combs was hit with a couple of s*xual assault lawsuits. One of the women who filed the lawsuit was Joi Dickerson-Neal, accusing Combs of d*ugging and s*xually assaulting her after they went on a date.

At the time she was a student, and the incident occurred in 1991. She also added that Combs had footage of the assault and that he circulated that in the industry. Another plaintiff, whose name is not known, accused Combs of s*xually assaulting and hitting her.

After three lawsuits were filed against Combs, he stepped down from the position of the Chairman at Revolt, a television network and media company that he co-founded.

Lawsuits that were filed in December 2023

A fourth lawsuit was filed by an anonymous plaintiff on December 6, 2024, who claimed that Combs, Harve Pierre, President of Bad Boy Records, the label founded by Sean in 1993, and one more person whose details are not known gang r*ped her at a recording studio in Manhattan. The plaintiff at the time was only 17 years old, and this incident took place in 2003.

She also mentioned that she was left in so much pain that she couldn’t stand and doesn’t remember how she got home.

Following the fourth lawsuit filed against Combs, the seriousness of the allegations affected his business. Empower Global, a marketplace for Black-owned businesses, suffered as 18 brands stopped working with his company.

Diddy responded to the accusations through a statement on his Instagram. He wrote:

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. "For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.

He continued:

"Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family, and for the truth."

Accusations made in February 2024

The lawsuit that was filed on February 26 accused Combs of groping, soliciting s*x workers, and forcing the plaintiff to take d*ugs. The plaintiff in question here is Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, the music producer for Combs album, The Love Album: Off the Grid, released in September 2023. This accusation comes nearly four months after Jones and Combs worked together.

Jones went on to explain how one day in February he woke up naked and dizzy at Combs Miamai's house and knew he was d*ugged. He further added that there were two s*x workers along with Combs present there. He also said that Combs would force him to hire prostitutes and participate in s*xual acts with them.

In addition, he also mentioned that Combs would groom him into having s*x with other people and tell him that it was all normal in the music industry.

The suit also included other names, like Justin Dior Combs, members of Motown Records, and Universal Music Group, as co-defendants in the case.

Combs's attorney said the following with regards to the above lawsuit:

''We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. … We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them.”

House raids and arrests that happened in March 2024

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with local law enforcement, raided Combs homes in Miami and Los Angeles on March 25, 2024, as a part of lawsuits and s*x trafficking claims.

While the raid was happening, on the same day, Brendan Paul, a 25-year-old man, was arrested at the Opa-Locka Airport in Miami. He was accused of being the d*ug mule for Combs since d*ugs were a part of the lawsuits that were filed against him. Paul was charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana.

The following day, March 26, 2024, Combs's attorney, Aaron Dyer, came forward and criticized the raid that happened. He said that the raid took place based on unproven lawsuits. He added that the feds misbehaved with Combs children and his staff.

He also said that the feds didn't arrest Combs nor put any ban on his or his family’s travel. He continued:

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

May 2024: A month where significant events unfolded

On May 17, 2024, CNN released a video that was dated in March 2016. The video clip is of the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, and it shows Combs in a towel and socks chasing Cassie. The video also shows Combs shoving Cassie near the elevator, hitting her multiple times while she’s lying on the floor, dragging her, and hitting her with an object.

This video exactly matched the accusations Cassie made against Combs in the lawsuit she filed in November 2023, which was already settled.

Later on the same day, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said that Combs could not be charged for the hotel assault as the video was quite old. They, however, encouraged people to report any crimes that involved Diddy.

Cassie's husband, Alex Fine, whom she married in 2019 and has two children with, shared a statement online. This statement comes after the video footage of Combs assaulting Cassie went viral. Below is the statement he posted:

On May 19, 2024, Combs posted a video on Instagram in which he apologized for the hotel assault. In the video, he says,

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” he said in the clip. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”

He continued:

‘’I went out and sought professional help. “Had to go into therapy, into rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

On May 21, the sixth lawsuit was filed against Combs. This was by a former model named Crystal McKinney. She claimed that Diddy s*xually assaulted her in 2003. She said that she was forced into oral s*x and was d*ugged by Combs.

In addition, she also included Universal Music Group and the label Bad Boy Records in the suit.

Two days later, another lawsuit was filed by April Lampros; she accused Combs of instances of s*xual assault between 1995 and 2000. She claimed that they met in 2004 and their romantic relationship soon turned into an abusive and aggressive relationship based on s*x.

A week later Cassie posted a statement on her Instagram account where she thanked people for supporting her, spoke about how the abuse affected her, and how she was still healing from the abuse.

The eighth lawsuit was filed in July

Adria English, an adult film star, filed the eighth lawsuit against Combs. She claimed that she was drugged and forced into s*x with the guests at Combs place, where he would host parties that had high-profile people attend.

This accusation was denied by Combs's lawyer.

September 2024: More lawsuits filed and arrests made

Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, a Michigan inmate, filed a lawsuit claiming that he was d*ugged and s*xually assaulted by Combs at a party in 1997. A virtual hearing was set for this lawsuit, which Combs didn’t attend on 10 September 2024.

This led to a default judgment, and Diddy was ordered to pay $100m to Derrick.

On September 11, 2024, Diddy was sued once again. This time it was singer Dawn Richard who was a part of the musical trio Diddy – Dirty Money. Diddy was a part of this trio, and Dawn accused Combs of s*xually assaulting, touching, verbally abusing, and overworking her.

Four days later, on September 16, 2024, Diddy was arrested, and the charges were not revealed at that moment.

On September 17, 2024, the charges were revealed. He was charged with s*x trafficking, bribery, and forced labor. On the same day, he pleaded not guilty to the charges that were put against him; however, he was denied bail. The next day, September 18, he was also denied bail.

According to the judge, the reason Combs was denied bail was because of his history of anger issues and substance abuse. He was detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center until his trial in May 2025.

He was placed on a suicide watch in the detention center on September 20. Four days later, on September 24, 2024, an eleventh lawsuit was filed against Combs. This lawsuit came from a woman named Thalia Graves.

She claimed that Combs and his bodyguard in 2001 d*ugged and violently r*ped her. They shot the act, and the video was later circulated among people.

On September 26, 2024, another anonymous plaintiff filed a lawsuit. She claimed that since 2020, Diddy abused her in various ways. She said that he would force her to take d*ugs and to get in uncomfortable s*xual situations, which would also involve other people.

She also claimed that she got pregnant in 2020; however, Diddy forced her to have an abortion, and she later suffered a miscarriage.

October 2024: 100 new assault allegations

On October 1, 2024, Tony Buzbee, a lawyer, and his law firm claimed that they were preparing to represent 120 people who suffered at the hands of Combs. Out of these 25 were minors when Combs assaulted them, and half were men.

In a new conference, Tony said,

“We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors. We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates.”

In response, Combs's attorney dismissed the allegations, saying that they were false and defamatory. On October 9, Combs's lawyers accused the authorities of leaking the hotel video footage of Combs assaulting Cassie in 2016 and said that it was done to harm his reputation and prevent him from having a fair trial.

The next day, October 10, his trial date was scheduled for May 5, 2025. On October 14, six lawsuits were filed, which included four from men and two from women. One of the women claimed that Combs r*ped her at a hotel party after a photoshoot, while another lawsuit came from a man who claimed that he was 16 when he attended one of Combs parties and there he asked him to undress.

Another lawsuit was filed on October 15. The lawsuit accused Diddy of r*ping a woman named Ashley Parham as "payback" for suggesting Diddy’s name in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac.

On October 16, Diddy’s lawyers filed a motion asking the prosecutors to reveal the identities of the anonymous plaintiffs who accused Combs of abuse.

On October 21, seven more lawsuits were filed. It included three women and four men, and they accused Diddy of s*xual assault at various parties.

Two more lawsuits were filed on October 28. Both lawsuits were by men who alleged that they were s*xually assaulted by Combs and were underage at the time. One of the lawsuits alleged that Combs assaulted a teenage boy who was auditioning for the MTV reality show Making the Band.

November 2024: More accusations and lawsuits

Tony Buzbee filed three more lawsuits. Two of the lawsuits claimed s*xual assault at parties by Combs, and the third accused Combs of r*pe in 2022.

On November 27, Combs was denied bail for the third time. Two days later, a fashion designer accused Diddy of strangling and dangling her off a 16th-floor balcony in 2016.

She also accused him of false imprisonment, emotional distress, and s*xual battery and is seeking $10 million in damages.

December 2024: Bail denial and new lawsuits

On December 8, 2024, Tony Buzbee filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z, who is known as the greatest rapper of all time, and Diddy. The lawsuit claimed that they d*ugged and r*ped the anonymous plaintiff at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards afterparty when she was 13.

Jay-Z’s lawyer denied the claim and said that he has no connection to Diddy’s case whatsoever.

A few days later, on December 13, Diddy dropped his bail appeal. On December 20, two more lawsuits were filed against him. One accused Diddy of r*pe at the New York charity basketball event in December 1991. The other lawsuit was filed by LaTroya Grayson, an Oklahoma native, who claimed that after she won a radio station contest, Diddy d*ugged and r*ped her in 2006.

January, 2025: Filing of new indictment

The new indictment claimed that Diddy and his associates paid $100,000 to the hotel workers to obtain the video footage of Cassie's assault in 2016. Diddy has also been accused of kidnapping and leading a racketeering conspiracy since 2004.

February 2025: More accusations

On February 3, 2025, a man accused Diddy of d*ugging and assaulting him in Los Angeles. On February 18, Diddy’s lawyers tried to dismiss the s*x trafficking charges against him. A few days later, on February 21, one of Diddy’s lawyers. Anthony Ricco decided to quit the case.

March 2025

On March 14, 2025, Diddy pleaded not guilty to several charges against him, which included s*x trafficking and racketeering. The next pretrial conference was set for late April.

In addition, attorney Tony Buzbee withdrew from the ongoing lawsuit as he is not admitted to practice in the federal jurisdiction where the case was filed. The jury selection will start on May 5, and the trials are set to begin on May 12.