Expect more lawsuits against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, says plaintiffs lawyer
Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee attends a news conference at his office earlier this month in Texas announcing that he's representing 120 accusers who have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, a hip-hop mogul who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. (Photo by Elizabeth Conley/The Houston Chronicle via the Associated Press)
Updated: Tony Buzbee, who has filed multiple sexual assault cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs in the past two weeks, says more than 400 additional victims of the embattled music mogul passed the scrutiny of his staff, and he intends to pick up the pace of lawsuits in the coming weeks.
In September, the federal government arrested Combs for racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He is currently being held without bond in New York and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Buzbee has taken to Instagram, installed a chatbot on his firm’s website and set up a toll-free phone hotline to take calls from people who think they have claims against Combs. Within the first few weeks, Buzbee said his firm received calls and messages from thousands of people. A team of seven former Houston police detectives and 13 attorneys vets them.
One of Combs’ lawyers described a Buzbee press conference that included his toll-free hotline number as a “reckless media circus,” the Associated Press reported.
“How dare I do that. How dare I provide a forum for someone who was victimized to come forward. Think about what they’re saying. It’s just ridiculous on its face but what can they say? They have a client who was arrested, indicted and in jail,” Buzbee says, adding that he’s heard from tougher critics in the past.
“I was a United States Marine, so there’s nothing those people from their white-shoe firm in New York City can say about me that my drill instructor didn’t say. So, I’m not concerned about their silliness.”
Teny Geragos, Combs’ criminal defense lawyer, told the ABA Journal she could not comment on the lawsuits. In an email, she mentioned an Oct. 15 letter sent to the court asking the government to identify Combs’ alleged victims.
The letter references six of Buzbee’s lawsuits.
Tony Buzbee, who has filed multiple sexual assault cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs in the past two weeks, says more than 400 additional victims of the embattled music mogul passed the scrutiny of his staff, and he intends to pick up the pace of lawsuits in the coming weeks. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs)
“These swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already,” the letter states.
On Oct. 25, the court issued an order directing parties to uphold their obligations under the federal rules.
“With this order in hand, both sides can make sure that anyone involved with this case or the related investigation understands what they are not permitted to disclose. To be clear, this order isn’t based on a finding that there has been any wrongdoing thus far, as the court has made no findings at this juncture relating to defendant’s allegations that information related to the case has been leaked,” Judge Arun Subramanian wrote in the order.
Buzbee would not say if his current clients include any of the alleged victims in the criminal case against Combs. He did say he will not attempt to stop his clients from talking to federal prosecutors in New York.
“It’s been my experience that the criminal authorities hate it when there’s a civil lawyer hanging out somewhere. So, I haven’t made any effort to engage with them,” Buzbee says. “I don’t anticipate that I will, but I have told my clients that if the U.S. attorney wants to speak to them or to me, I encourage that to happen. If they want some of the evidence we’ve collected, I will absolutely provide it, but my belief is they know what they’re doing and probably have their case buttoned up.”
In the lawsuits filed so far, it is alleged that between 1995 and 2021, Combs sexually assaulted men and women. Many of the complaints claim the plaintiffs were drugged against their will. So far, all the lawsuits have been filed in the Southern District of New York.
“We’re going to file every case that we can file in New York first. Of course we’ll file some in California. New York is unique because it has that statute that revives claims that otherwise would be barred by time. California has a very generous statute of limitations,” Buzbee says, adding that it is likely that Combs’ lawyers will claim that lawsuits must be filed where the alleged assaults took place.
“I’ll make the argument that wherever the defendant is, that’s the statute of limitations that would apply. Obviously right now, Diddy is in New York, and I’m going to make the argument that he’s a resident of New York. He’s either a resident of California or New York. We’ll argue about which statute of limitation applies.”
The latest cases, filed Monday, allege that Combs sexually assaulted and drugged a 10-year-old boy in 2005, and a 17-year-old in 2008, the Associated Press reports.
Buzbee says he may file hundreds of lawsuits against Combs, but he doesn’t plan to seek class-action status.
Defense attorney Tony Buzbee talks to the media in September 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Eric Gay/The Associated Press)
“Every case is different because every case occurred at a different time and place and has different people involved,” says Buzbee, who hopes the accusers will be allowed to remain anonymous.
“The lawsuits are very traumatic for the plaintiffs. It’s very invasive, and you never know if the court is going to let them proceed anonymously.”
As of Thursday, four plaintiffs were granted motions to proceed anonymously. One motion was denied.
Buzbee thinks the criminal case has given victims the courage to speak up.
“A lot of people, the ones that I’ve spoken to, the mere fact of the arrest, the indictment and the denial of bail made them feel a lot safer,” says Buzbee, a Texan who says he has secured settlements for at least 30 women that alleged sexual misconduct against NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Additionally, he sued rapper Travis Scott and Live Nation regarding a death and injuries at a 2021 Astroworld concert. The family of a 21-year-old who died at the event settled their case in 2022, Rolling Stone reported.
Buzbee says he usually attempts to settle cases before filing a public lawsuit to save his clients from being re-traumatized. He has not settled and does not plan to make any attempt to settle any cases against Combs.
“I didn’t do that with him because of things that were said in the press,” says Buzbee. He anticipates lawsuits against other celebrities and companies who were part of the alleged conduct involving Combs, but he would not expound on the issue.
Updated Oct. 31 at 7:30 a.m. to clarify information from the court’s order and update the status of various motions.
