Diddy seeks to toss some claims from sexual assault lawsuit
The rapper’s lawyers described the claims as ‘false, offensive, and salacious’ – and argue they should be tossed because they were brought under laws that did not exist at the time of the alleged 1991 incident
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Music icon Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked a judge to throw out a handful of claims from a lawsuit brought by a woman who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her back in 1991.
In a 26 April filing, obtained by People, Diddy’s attorneys claim that some of the allegations in Joi Dickerson-Neal’s suit “were brought under statutes that did not exist at the time the alleged misconduct occurred” and so should be tossed from the case.
Among the legislation in question are the “New York State Revenge Porn Law,” which was signed into law in 2019, and the “New York Services for Victims of Human Trafficking law,” which became law in 2007.
Because these laws took effect decades after the alleged sexual assault, these claims “cannot survive” the motion to dismiss, Diddy’s lawyers wrote.
They also called Ms Dickerson-Neal’s allegations “false, offensive, and salacious”.
In November, Ms Dickerson-Neal filed a complaint claiming the rapper “intentionally drugged” her during the 1991 alleged incident, when she was a student at Syracuse University.
This resulted “in her being in a physical state where she could not independently stand or walk,” the complaint alleges.
Ms Dickerson-Neal claims that Diddy then drove her to “a place he was staying to sexually assault her”.
“As was his practice, but unbeknownst to Ms. Dickerson, Combs video recorded the sexual assault,” the complaint alleges.
Days after the incident, the complaint claims that “a male friend revealed to her that he had viewed the ‘sex tape’ along with other men”.
“Horrified, Ms. Dickerson asked how many others saw it, to which he responded, ‘everyone,’” Ms Dickerson-Neal claims.
Regarding the revenge porn law, the complaint alleges that Ms Dickerson-Neal “was depicted in a video image in which Combs engaged in sexual contact… in which Plaintiff’s body was unclothed or her intimate parts were exposed”.
She “did not consent to the depiction, as she was mentally incapacitated,” it adds.
As for the human trafficking law, the complaint states: “Defendants unlawfully administered to Plaintiff a narcotic or intoxicating substance in New York state, transported her, forced her to engage in sexual intercourse, and made a video recording of the “revenge porn” which he distributed throughout New York state – all without her consent.”
The Independent has contacted Ms Dickerson-Neal’s attorneys for comment.
Ms Dickerson-Neal filed the suit in November 2023, under the New York Adult Survivors Act (ASA).
Her lawsuit is one of a string of recent lawsuits brought against Diddy as he faces allegations of wide-ranging sexual misconduct. A separate suit, filed by another woman under the ASA, against the rapper has been settled.
The rapper’s home in California and Florida were raided by federal agents in March in connection to an ongoing human trafficking investigation.
Diddy has not been charged with any crime in the case.