Diddy files legal motion to dismiss lawsuit
Attorneys representing hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs have launched a counterattack against a woman’s lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault, aiming to dismiss specific claims that were not legally recognized at the time of the alleged incident.
The legal maneuver, filed on Friday in a New York court, contends that Combs cannot be held liable for actions that were not governed by the law when Joi Dickerson-Deal made her accusations in 1991.
Combs’ legal team seeks to have certain aspects of Dickerson-Deal’s claims, such as those pertaining to revenge porn and human trafficking, dismissed with prejudice.
According to a filing from last year, Dickerson-Deal asserted that Combs “intentionally drugged” her before sexually assaulting her after a date in Harlem when she was a 19-year-old college student.
Allegedly, Combs recorded the assault without her knowledge and subsequently shared the footage with numerous individuals in the music industry.
Combs vehemently denied these allegations, accusing Dickerson-Deal of exploiting a New York law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations.
It’s worth noting that Dickerson-Deal’s claim emerged nearly three decades after the purported incident, and the New York State Revenge Porn Law, cited in her suit, was not codified until 2019, as highlighted by Combs’ legal representatives.
Furthermore, Combs’ attorneys underscored other legal factors, such as the New York Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Law, which only came into effect in 2007.
The timing of these laws is crucial in the context of the case, as they were not in existence during the period when the alleged misconduct occurred.
Interestingly, last month, federal authorities conducted raids on Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation, adding another layer of complexity to the legal landscape surrounding the music mogul.
In a separate lawsuit settled swiftly after its filing in November, Combs faced allegations of sexual abuse from his former protégé and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie.
The lawsuit claimed years of abuse, including rape, and detailed coercive acts such as forcing her to engage in sexual activities with male prostitutes while being filmed.
Diddy files legal motion to dismiss lawsuit
