Law&Crime Sidebar - P. Diddy Lawsuit Claims Pimp Brought Trafficked Girls to Warehouse Sex Party

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wonderly Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wonderly Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that will

Starting point is 00:00:35 keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. As Sean Diddy Combs and one-time co-defendant Jay-Z celebrate one civil lawsuit being dropped. Combs is facing a slew of new lawsuits all on his own. Welcome to Sideborder. Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. Huge news dropped on Friday night. Attorneys for a Jane Doe who claimed that she was raped at age 13 by both Sean Diddy Combs and Sean Carter, better known as Jay-Z, dropped her lawsuit against the celebrities. At is major.

Starting point is 00:01:22 The suit has been dropped with prejudice, meaning she can't refile it. That is a major win for Jay-Z. and Sean Combs. And we've been closely following the accusations from this particular Jane Doe. Her most outspoken attorney, Tony Busby, had previously announced that he would be naming A-list celebrities in his lawsuits, that he was going to be representing numerous Sean Combs accusers. And when this complaint was first filed, it named only Celebrity A, a man, and Celebrity B, a woman. But then a few weeks later, there was an amended complaint that identified celebrity A as Jay-Z. And the response from Jay-Z's camp was very swift and very forceful.

Starting point is 00:02:05 And his legal team has been poking holes in Jane Doe's story ever since. And here is what the notice of voluntary dismissal says. Quote, pursuant to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, plaintiff Jane Doe by and through her undersigned counsel hereby gives notice that the above caption action is voluntarily dismissed with prejudice. Counselor for plaintiff have discussed this matter with counsel for each defendant who acknowledge and consent to this submission. And that's it. Very short to the point, basically, all the lawyers have talked about it.

Starting point is 00:02:38 We are dropping this and now they're just awaiting the judge's signature. And by the way, by law, by this rule, and I'm not surprised, there's no clear explanation for why it's being dropped. You don't have to provide it, but you have to wonder, given the back and forth what the reasoning might have been, and I'll give you a little bit of backstory here. So there was a civil lawsuit that was filed against Combs on behalf of a Jane Doe who says that she was raped at a home after the Video Music Awards in 2000. And she says she was just 13 years old when this happened. And both rappers have adamantly denied the

Starting point is 00:03:11 allegations that they were responsible for this assault or that they assaulted her in any way. And Jay-Z went on the offensive, arguing that Jane Doe's story was full of holes that it should have been obvious to any competent attorney before filing this case. And because of that, Jay-Z's attorneys had focused on huge oversights in the investigation into Jane Doe's claims and even called for her attorney, Tony Busby, to be sanctioned for his conduct for filing this lawsuit. Now, sanctions can include things like having to pay a penalty to the court, maybe even covering the other party's legal fees. So according to the complaint, Jane Doe says or claims that when she was 13 years old in 2000, she had a friend driver to Radio City,

Starting point is 00:03:51 call in New York City, where the VMAs were being held. She says she didn't have a ticket, so she milled around outside, and that's when she says that one of Combs' limo drivers told her to come back later and he'd take her to an after-party. And she claims she was given a drink, which she now believes was drugged, and she claims that she started feeling woozy, went to find somewhere to lie down, and that is when she claims Combs sexually assaulted her, and a second celebrity, Jay-Z, sexually assaulted her as well, all while a female celebrity, an unnamed female celebrity watched, Celebrity B. Now, that male celebrity was identified in the amended complaint as Jay-Z.

Starting point is 00:04:27 As I said, the female celebrity was not. But Jane Doe claims she ran from the home, found a gas station. She said she called her father to come pick her up. But then, bombshell reporting from NBC News after this complaint was filed, put a spotlight on what appears to be serious flaws in her recollection. example, NBC reportedly interviewed Jane Doe, as well as her father, who says he has no memory whatsoever of making a very, very long drive to pick up his teenage daughter. Would have taken him hours.

Starting point is 00:05:00 There were also issues picked up by Jay-Z's counsel, that there were potential recall issues regarding the house, a celebrity that Jane Doe had apparently spoken to, the presence of a jumbotron near the VMAs, even the cordoning off of limos outside. There were details of this account that they kept finding holes in. And despite reported inconsistencies, Jane Doe doubled down on her belief that she was attacked. Busby defended himself and his client in response to the call for sanctions saying some of his colleagues did the background work on the lawsuit, also said it's too premature to end this case and to get sanctions because allow this case to progress. He tried to fight back against inconsistencies in the details. one of the things that Tony Busby highlighted is that an alleged child survivor of sexual abuse

Starting point is 00:05:45 would, of course, naturally have issues of recall given the trauma. Having said that, the defense pointed out that Busby signed his name to the complaint. So any alleged inconsistencies, they are on him. Hey, quick sidebar from sidebar for a second to tell you guys about this incredible offer that's happening right now. So you know how Morgan and Morgan is our sponsor and partner. While they're also the official law firm partner of the UFC, makes total sense. by the way, because fighting is in their DNA, like the UFC fighters who bring their everything

Starting point is 00:06:14 to the octagon. Morgan and Morgan's 1,000 attorneys bring there everything for their clients and courtrooms across America. Get this right now. Morgan and Morgan is given away two tickets to the Pereira v. Ancalae of fight in Las Vegas plus $2,000. Yep, you can enter for your chance to win at morganuFC.com or at the link in the description and pinned in the comments. When the motion to dismiss was filed Friday, both Combs and Jay-Z put out statements. A tweet from Rock Nation, this is Jay-Z's entertainment company reads, Today is a victory, the frivolous, fictitious, and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere.

Starting point is 00:06:54 The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed. This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions. The system has failed. The court must protect victims, of course. While with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally. his behalf, Combs team said today's complete dismissal without a settlement by the 1-800 attorney

Starting point is 00:07:36 is yet another confirmation that these lawsuits are built on falsehoods, not facts. For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by an attorney more focused on media headlines than legal merit. Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them. Sean Combs has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor, no number of lawsuits. Since, nationalized allegations or media theatrics will change that reality. We will continue to fight these baseless claims and hold those responsible. This is just the first of many that will not hold up in a court of law. And if you've been following coverage of combs, our coverage of combs,

Starting point is 00:08:16 you know that he's facing dozens of civil lawsuits with many of them filed by Tony Busby on behalf of John Does and Jane Does. And so he is basically saying, wait until this goes to trial or even before trial, they will all be dismissed. They will all be shut down. I will win and I will prevail my criminal charges as well because we know that he's facing criminal charges in federal court. So as you see this lawsuit being thrown away, several more were submitted to the court in its place. And again, while this is a win for Sean Combs and Jay-Z for sure, we don't know why this suit was dropped, whether there really were issues in Jane Doe's account. And it became clear that this case was no longer viable.

Starting point is 00:08:58 Maybe she wasn't telling the truth, whether her attorneys realized that, or whether putting the substance of the allegations to the side, the veracity of them, whether she just chose to not continue and not want to continue to litigate against two major celebrities and put the spotlight on her and her life and her allegations. We don't know. But not the best for Tony Busby, that's clear. And you wonder whether his credibility maybe took a hit. But here is what's interesting.

Starting point is 00:09:25 While Busby has not commented publicly on the motion to dismiss, he did release a statement on Instagram about the newest round of civil lawsuits, saying, as has been our practice, we will let the allegations in these filed complaints speak for themselves, and we will work to see that justice is done in court. As we approach an important deadline, we expect to be filing additional cases naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare formal filings. At our firm, we have a large team working on these important matters. We continue to field many calls daily from alleged victims and potential witnesses. We have been assisted in this regard by colleagues in both New York and L.A. If you believe you were victimized or if you have pertinent evidence, we encourage you to reach out. We will proudly continue to lead this effort and are proud of those who have had the courage to speak out and make their voices heard. Now, one of the most disturbing new complaints comes from a jam.

Starting point is 00:10:22 who now lives in Florida. Again, represented by Tony Busby. This was filed last Friday in New York State Court. In this lawsuit, she says she was sex trafficked as a teen and ended up at a party thrown by Combs in 2020, where she claimed she was raped repeatedly by a huge group of men. So I want to dig into the details of this disturbing complaint right off the top. Busby is making sure, again, he's representing her, making sure that the court knows just how horrific these allegations are because it reads, quote, defendant Sean Combs paid a number of sex traffickers to provide underage girls, including plaintiff, to be used for the sexual gratification of himself and his friends at a party in Miami. Defending Combs' arranging of these

Starting point is 00:11:05 girls for sex led to plaintiff suffering approximately 20 separate instances of sexual assault at the party. This case seeks compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of this young victim of sex trafficking. Compensatory damages are those that restore a plaintiff try to do so. Punitive damages are a way to punish the defendant or defendants for really bad egregious behavior. Now, it's interesting that an alleged sex trafficking victim is coming forward, as Combs faces himself federal sex trafficking allegations, charges, criminal charges for allegedly forcing people to participate in sex acts with commercial sex workers for his own gratification. Now, we're going to get into Jane Doe's specific claims,

Starting point is 00:11:47 and I'll warn you they are really disturbing. But first, this loss. lawsuit goes through some of Combs' successes as an entertainer and entrepreneur to lay the foundation for just how powerful and influential he is and also maybe why this Jane Doe did not come forward immediately with her allegations against him. And what you're about to hear is very characteristic of a number of the lawsuits that were filed by Tony Busby. This preamble says, the lawsuit reads, Combs is one of the wealthiest musical artists in the world. Behind the facade of being a three-time Grammy Award winner, discovering and developing multiple famous musical artists and ranking on Forbes list of the highest paid entertainers in the world, there existed something

Starting point is 00:12:29 sinister, a dark underbelly of crime, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, bribery, and prostitution. Again, very similar to what's being alleged in the criminal case, the criminal indictment. Combs is a menace to society, women, and children. While his wealth has kept him above consequence for years, Combs now faces the awesome power of the American Jewish. judicial system, and ultimately a jury of his peers who will be asked to punish him for the deplorable conduct described herein. So Jane Doe is suing not only Sean Combs, but Combs Enterprises LLC, bad boy entertainment holdings, and several more of Combs businesses, plus organizational does 1 through 10, meaning as yet unidentified people who worked for the companies,

Starting point is 00:13:12 as well as individual does 1 through 20, again, as yet unidentified people who may have been involved in the alleged attacks against Jane Doe, who could potentially be named in future filings. Now, I've said this before, that when plaintiffs file lawsuits like this, you will usually see them going after a connected business as well, because that could be where the most money comes from in terms of damages. I'll give you an example of this, actually. So according to Parade magazine recently, Combs is believed to be worth around $400 million, which is actually way down from nearly a billion dollars, which he was reportedly at or near. And look, we don't know if these numbers are for sure accurate,

Starting point is 00:13:52 but it's interesting to be thinking about. And, of course, it's been reported that Combs lost some lucrative collaborations and projects when people started accusing him of being a sexual predator. But it's unclear how much of Combs' money may be tied up in his businesses, like Bad Boy Entertainment, but, again, just something to think about. But the plaintiff's attorneys would need to show that the companies had knowledge of what Combs was allegedly doing and the harm it was causing and enabled this in some way. The complaint claims, on the surface, each of these businesses served a legitimate purpose

Starting point is 00:14:24 related to entertainment, music, and other subjects. But in reality, Combs by and through himself and his agents, employees, and contractors, use these businesses to sexually assault, abuse, threaten, and coerce hundreds of individuals through sexual quid pro quo schemes, as well as to take advantage of individuals with impunity, thinking the victims would never seek recourse. Combs and his agents, employees and contractors through these Combs businesses would tell victims this is what it takes to be famous. What are you willing to do to become a star and perform this sexual act or else to coerce the victim into performing a non-consensual sexual act for the gratification of Combs and his cohorts? By the way, this is also

Starting point is 00:15:04 key for the criminal charges that he faces specifically the racketeering charge that he used his businesses and resources, allegedly, to lead and further a criminal enterprise that was engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, other alleged illegal activity. Those are just some of the allegations in the criminal indictment, but going back to the lawsuit, it lays out a lot of prior allegations against Sean Combs, as well as arrests that have made headlines over the years. So going back to the lawsuit, it says, quote, despite his undeniable success, his rise to the top is marred by a reputation. for being ruthless and manipulative, using his influence in ways that have left a trail of legal

Starting point is 00:15:44 and personal controversies, including, but not limited to, the following. Nightclub shooting incident 1999. Combs was embroiled in a high-profile case related to a nightclub shooting in New York involving his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and rapper Shine. Combs was acquitted of all charges, though the case remains a significant legal event in his career. B. Multiple assault allegations. Combs has faced several lawsuits related to alleged physical assaults. many of which have been settled out of court.

Starting point is 00:16:11 Business disputes. So Combs has been involved in various business-related legal conflicts, particularly surrounding his Sean John clothing line, other ventures. These disputes often involve contractual disagreements, trademark claims. Claims by Cassie Ventura. Combs' former girlfriend, Cassandra Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit accusing him of years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during their relationship. Cassie alleged repeated instances of assault, coerced sexual acts, and drug use, contributing to an environment of fear and manipulation, and then the lawsuit gets into the meat

Starting point is 00:16:44 of Jane Doe's claims. Quote, Plaintiff Doe was sold into the world of sex trafficking at the age of 12. For the next five long years, she remained under the strict control of various sex traffickers and pimps who transported Doe and other girls around the country for the sexual gratification of men willing to pay. Doe was frequently kept under the influence of a large amount of drugs in order to ensure her compliance and inability to escape. By the way, side note, Combs hasn't been charged criminally with respect to sex trafficking or sexually abusing minors. I want to make that clear. So even when a superseding indictment was recently filed that in effect replaced the older indictment, there was no mention of underage people, despite claims of him

Starting point is 00:17:30 abusing minors in various lawsuits. And by the way, he hasn't been found liable in these sexual assault lawsuits at the time of this recording, and he hasn't been found guilty of the criminal charges that he faces. He's innocent until proven guilty. But going back to the lawsuit, in or around 2020, when Doe was 15 years old, her trafficker, known to Doe only by the nickname he used around herself and the other girls, took Doe and one or more other girls to Miami, Florida. In Miami, plaintiff was taken to a large building similar to a warehouse, the host whom Doe eventually learned was defendant Combs was hosting a large party in the building. It quickly became apparent that the purpose of the party was sex. Defending Combs had arranged and paid for Doe and other

Starting point is 00:18:17 girls being trafficked through numerous pimps to be brought to the party. At the party, Combs made them available for sex. Doe recalls that Combs made an announcement to his guests and then made a toast to start the party. Doe, who had been given drugs for this event to keep her controlled and somewhat sedated, was taken to a curtained off area with red and dark blue or black lights containing a bed in the middle. Over the next several hours, Doe was forced to have sex with approximately 20 different men, all guests of combs, one after another. The curtain area in which Doe was confined was next to another curtain off area with another bed which Doe could see through the curtains. Doe saw combs having sex with a Latina

Starting point is 00:18:58 girl, whom Doe estimated to be 12 or 13 years old, and who had been in the same traffic group as Doe for no more than a few weeks. Doe could not see where that girl was taken after Combs was finished with her. After he was finished having sex with the young Latina girl, Combs drank and watched others having sex, including watching the men having sex with Doe. After the party was over, Doe and the other girls were again transported to another location by the sex trafficker. Doe remained in the control of sex traffickers for two more years. Doe ultimately escaped from the sex trafficking world when an undercover officer as part of a sting operation found her in a hotel room in Virginia and arrested the pimp who was controlling her at the time.

Starting point is 00:19:40 As a result of the confinement and sexual assaults detailed herein, Doe suffered severe mental and emotional damages, including post-traumatic stress disorder, among other issues. Wow. So first of all, allegations from 2020, very unlike other lawsuits that make claims from years ago, you have to be wondering if the evidence would be fresh, potentially more readily discoverable. Would you have people from this event, including the other alleged victims, be able to testify, speak out? Are there records of Combs perhaps renting out this warehouse? I mean, again, something happening five, or allegedly happening five years ago, very different than happening 15 years ago. So from physical to digital to testimonial evidence, this is maybe what separates this case from others.

Starting point is 00:20:29 see. Now, I should tell you that Jane Doe is suing under two causes of action here. And it's interesting. So first, you have aiding and abetting assault and sexual assault against all of the defendants. Now, this is under Florida law. She is a Florida resident. These alleged incidents happened in Miami and under the rules of civil procedure. You can apply another state's law in a lawsuit that is filed in New York. And by the way, the reason this is being filed in New York State Court is because the defendants are domiciled in New York, according to Jane Doe, and one or more of the defendants reside in that specific county. Now, to prove this, Jane Doe needs to show that Combs, with the help of his businesses, intentionally made physical,

Starting point is 00:21:14 offensive contact with her, namely sexual assaults. And the factors here, as alleged, she was a minor, she was drugged, she couldn't consent. And then this is also interesting, She alleges that Combs businesses conspired and enabled with Combs to commit gender-motivated violence. Usually, we have been seeing this. We talk about a lot. Usually we see violation of New York City's gender-motivated violence protection law as a separate cause of action in these lawsuits. But here, it's just part of this underlying claim. And it also says the Combs Corporation's further enabled and conspired with Combs to commit the crime of sexual assault by actively placing, maintaining, and or employing Combs in positions of power and authority, despite the

Starting point is 00:21:59 fact that they knew and or should have known that Combs had a widespread and well-known practice of committing sexual assault and gender-motivated violence, including on premises owned and or operated by defendants. The second claim is assault and sexual assault against Doe's 1 through 20. So these are the men that she claims touched and assaulted her at this party, but currently she doesn't know who they are, but during the course of this litigation and during the course of discovery, perhaps she will find out who their identities are and then name them officially as defendants in this case. Again, very, very disturbing allegations. It's unclear, by the way, for now, if any of the people, including Jane Doe, who have filed these lawsuits against Sean

Starting point is 00:22:41 Combs, will be called as a witness in his federal trial or if they've given evidence to the grand jury. What we do know is that Combs is currently locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. He's been there since September, pursuant to a grand jury indictment in the Southern District of New York where he faces charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy, or racketeering conspiracy, rather, transportation to engage in prostitution. His trial set for May, hopefully in the time leading up to that point, and hopefully at trial, we will learn a lot more details about this. But again, just wanted to bring you another lawsuit. So again, as one Tony Busby lawsuit is dismissed and is thrown to the

Starting point is 00:23:19 wayside, you got another one. there seems like there might be more on the horizon as well. That's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. As always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

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Law&Crime Sidebar - P. Diddy Lawsuit Claims Pimp Brought Trafficked Girls to Warehouse Sex Party

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