CNN
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Sean “Diddy” Combs has obtained legal representation and plans to file a civil lawsuit against the embattled media mogul in the coming weeks, according to Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee. More than 100 men and women may soon face new charges.
Buzbee said at a news conference Tuesday that his firm, Buzbee Law Firm and AVA Law Group, has been retained by at least 120 people “to pursue civil court claims” against Combs. He said those individuals “contacted us claiming to have been victimized.” Combs and other persons or entities.
According to Buzbee, some of the cases they plan to file include violent sexual assault and rape, sexual abuse, facilitation of sexual activity with controlled substances, false imprisonment, forced prostitution, sexual misconduct, It will center on the dissemination of video recordings and allegations of sexual abuse. Minor.
The musician and businessman was indicted earlier this month on federal charges, including sex trafficking. Combs has pleaded not guilty.
Of the 120 people in his office, half are men and half are women, and 25 of them were minors at the time of the alleged incidents in Los Angeles, New York and Los Angeles, Buzbee said. said. Miami during parties and sometimes music industry related auditions.
“As Mr. Combs’ attorneys have emphasized, he cannot address all the meritless allegations that have become a reckless media circus. That being said, Mr. Combs is unable to address all the meritless allegations that have become a reckless media circus. Combs categorically denies any allegation that he sexually abused anyone, including anyone, as false and defamatory,” Combs’ attorney Erica Wolf told CNN in a statement Tuesday.
Wolff said Combs “looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in a courtroom where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation, if the claim is filed and served.” “I have,” he added.
The company said it plans to begin filing these lawsuits within the next 30 days as it continues its review and evidence gathering process.
Buzbee said more than 55% of victims “reported this behavior to the authorities, either to the police or to a hospital,” and his company is actively working to collect records of reports to authorities. said.
Buzbee also clarified that his company does not intend to file a class action lawsuit, and that each lawsuit will be filed individually in various states. In some cases, Combs may not be the only defendant named in the civil suit, as Buzbee said other individuals or entities could be named based on allegations and evidence gathered. he said.
Since November of last year, Combs has faced 12 civil lawsuits, 11 of which directly accuse him of sexual assault. Mr. Combs denies many of the charges against him and settled one lawsuit, but has not yet responded to all of the ongoing lawsuits.
He is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking and extortion after being indicted by a grand jury. Combs’ lawyers are appealing his detention, seeking his release pending trial.
A source previously told CNN that most of the accusers who filed the civil lawsuit met with federal investigators during the months-long investigation. In March, Combs’ residences in Los Angeles and Miami were searched by the Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Investigation.
After Combs’ arrest, authorities said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
