A lawsuit filed Tuesday by a former model accused rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her at his New York City recording studio in 2003, adding yet another case to a string of allegations against the renowned hip-hop producer.
Crystal McKinney said she was a successful 22-year-old model when she met Mr. Combs at a restaurant during Men’s Fashion Week in Manhattan. Mr. Combs invited her to join him in his recording studio later that night.
According to the federal complaint filed in New York City, when Ms. McKinney arrived she found Mr. Combs drinking and smoking joints with several other men. She smoked some marijuana, which she “later came to understand” was laced with a narcotic or intoxicating substance. She felt as though she was floating. Mr. Combs led her to the bathroom, where the sexual assault took place, according to the lawsuit.
Mr. Combs led her back to the studio where she lost consciousness, the lawsuit says. Ms. McKinney awakened in a taxi later in the night, realizing that she had been sexually assaulted, according to the lawsuit.
Mr. Combs’ representatives did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
The lawsuit was filed days after CNN obtained surveillance footage from multiple angles that showed Mr. Combs attacking his former girlfriend R&B singer Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. In the video, he’s seen throwing the singer to the ground and then kicking her twice. According to the complaint, Mr. Combs was “extremely intoxicated.”
Two days after the video aired, Mr. Combs released a video admitting he attacked the singer in the hotel hallway.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life,” he said, calling his behavior “inexcusable.” He further mentioned undergoing therapy and rehab. “I’m not asking for forgiveness; I am truly sorry.”
The singer, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, sued Mr. Combs in November over what she said was years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Though the lawsuit was settled surprisingly fast—the very next day—the settlement triggered a series of sexual assault allegations in the following months, prompting Mr. Combs to temporarily step down as chairman of his cable television network, Revolt.
In March, the music mogul’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal agents with Homeland Security investigators, which Mr. Combs’ lawyers called “a gross overuse of military-level force.”
Three-time Grammy winner Sean John Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers of the past three decades. In 1993 he established his record label Bad Boy Records and went on the work with numerous top-tier artists including Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Usher, Lil Kim, TLC, Faith Evans, and 112. In 1997 he made his debut as a rapper under the name Puff Daddy, which later changed to P. Diddy and then just Diddy.
