There are new accusations against hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Three men accused Combs of drugging and raping them during incidents that took place between 2019 and 2022 at New York hotels.
One of the men has been identified as a former employee of Combs. Thomas Giuffra, the lawyer who filed the anonymous lawsuits Thursday, Dec. 12, said Combs used his power and wealth to take advantage of them.
“This is a long overdue opportunity for the victims to take the power back after carrying the burden of the assaults in silence for several years,” Giuffra said in a statement. “While a lawsuit will not undo the wrongs done to them, it enables the survivors to regain the power and dignity that was stripped from them by Sean Combs.”
The men are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
In a statement, Combs attorneys said the claims are full of lies.
“We will prove them false and seek sanctions against every unethical lawyer who filed fictional claims against him.”
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He remains in federal prison in Brooklyn after being denied bail.
Jay-Z responds after being accused of raping 13-year-old girl alongside ‘Diddy’
Music mogul Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs. In a civil suit filed Sunday, Dec. 8, the anonymous accuser claimed the assault happened in 2000 at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.
The federal lawsuit was originally filed in October only listing Combs as a defendant, but it was refiled Sunday to include Carter. The suit also said “another celebrity stood by and watched as Combs and Carter took turns assaulting the minor.” That celebrity has not yet been named.
Jay-Z, who is married to Beyoncé, denied the accusation in a statement posted to his Roc Nation X account directed at Tony Buzbee, the attorney who filed the suit.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee,” Jay-Z wrote. “What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.
“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!”
Jay-Z mentioned how his family would be affected by this suit.
“My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age,” Jay-Z wrote.
In a statement, Buzzbee wrote, “The pleading speaks for itself. This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court.”
Buzbee also posted a longer response on his Instagram account Sunday, Dec. 8, saying, “People will see through this effort to discredit me and my clients and the truth will be revealed. I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming.”
Combs’ lawyer also responded, calling the suit a “shameless” publicity stunt.
In September, federal prosecutors in New York criminally charged Combs with racketeering, sex trafficking and other offenses. He is in jail awaiting trial, which is scheduled to start May 5.
FBI agent acquitted in 2020 shooting arrested on sexual assault charges
An FBI agent has been arrested Monday, Nov. 25, on charges of sexually assaulting two women, according to police in Montgomery County, Maryland. Authorities there also said they believe there might be other victims out there.
Valdivia is now suspended from the FBI pending the outcome of this case. He is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing in district court on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
This is not his first brush with the law. In 2020, prosecutors charged Valdivia with attempted murder in an off-duty shooting on a metro train in Bethesda, Maryland. A Montgomery County jury found him not guilty in that case in 2022.
Conor McGregor ordered to pay $257K over sexual assault case
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor must pay 250,000 euros (about $257,000 USD) following a civil court jury’s verdict in Dublin, Ireland. The jury found McGregor liable Friday, Nov. 22, for assaulting a woman in a hotel room in December 2018.
The woman, who has remained anonymous, claimed McGregor raped and battered her after a night of partying. She said the attack left her with severe bruising and post-traumatic stress disorder.
BBC News reports a paramedic who examined the woman the next day testified that her injuries were some of the worst bruising she had ever seen.
Jury deliberation and McGregor’s response
According to The Associated Press, the jury deliberated for six hours and McGregor shook his head in court as they read their verdict. The fighter denied all allegations, insisting their encounter was consensual. He argued the woman fabricated her claims.
In a statement outside the courthouse, the woman thanked her loved ones for their support. She emphasized the importance of standing up for oneself, saying she wanted to set an example for her daughter.
McGregor to appeal
Shortly after the verdict, McGregor said in a social media post on X he intends to appeal.
I will be appealing today's decision. The judge's instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future.…
Trump picks Bondi after Gaetz withdrawal; Hegseth responds to police report
President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time replacing his embattled attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz with Pam Bondi. We’ve got the details of her background. And a volcano in Iceland, once dormant for 800 years, has erupted again — for the seventh time this year. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
Trump picks Bondi after Gaetz withdrawal; Hegseth responds to police report
Bondi served as Florida’s first female attorney general from 2011 to 2019. A year later, she was one of the lawyers who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial where he was ultimately acquitted by the Senate. She also served on Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first term.
Bondi and Trump’s connection came under scrutiny in 2013 when she did not join a lawsuit against Trump in connection to fraud allegations toward Trump University. At the time, Trump’s foundation made a $25,000 donation to a campaign group backing Bondi. Both denied any impropriety.
The 59-year-old Bondi currently leads the legal arm of the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, which worked with the Trump campaign to help shape policy for his upcoming administration. If confirmed by the Senate, she would oversee the Department of Justice.
In announcing his pick on his platform Truth Social, Trump said, “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting crime, and making America safe again.”
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 21, 2024
Gaetz, who resigned from Congress shortly after Trump nominated him, released a statement earlier in the day saying his confirmation was “unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition.” He also called Trump’s nomination of Bondi a “stellar selection.”
The former Florida congressman had been the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, including accusations he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied any wrongdoing and the panel did not agree on Wednesday, Nov. 20, on whether to release its report.
Now attention is turning to Trump’s pick for defense secretary, war veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth. He met with Senators on Thursday as a newly released police report detailed allegations about an alleged sexual assault in 2017.
The report was released to media outlets in response to public records requests. No charges were filed in the case and Hegseth has said the encounter was consensual.
Hegseth spoke to reporters about the allegations Thursday.
“As far as the media is concerned, I’ll put it very simple: the matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared and that’s where I’m going to leave it,” he said.
Hegseth’s attorney said the allegations are false and Hegseth settled in 2020 only out of fear that he would lose his job at Fox News if the woman’s accusations became public.
Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey concedes to Republican rival Dave McCormick
The Associated Press called the race in favor of McCormick two days after the election.
It was one of the closest races in the state’s history — so close, it triggered an automatic recount under state law. Despite Casey conceding, the recount is still going on and results are expected Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Senator Bob Casey dedicated his career to bettering our commonwealth. Dina and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Terese, and their family for their decades of service, hard work, and personal sacrifice.
This is Pennsylvania’s fourth recount since 2004. None of the previous ones changed the outcome.
With McCormick’s victory, Republicans will control the U.S. Senate by a 53-47 margin, picking up four seats in the 2024 election.
Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution
An Alabama prisoner became the third person in not just the state, but the U.S. to be executed with nitrogen gas Thursday night. Carey Grayson, 50, was one of four men convicted of murdering a female hitchhiker in 1994 when he was a teenager.
In a controversial move, Alabama began using nitrogen gas this year to carry out some executions. It entails the inmate inhaling pure nitrogen through a mask until he suffocates. Critics say it is inhumane and painful, but the state maintains the method is constitutional.
NFL issues security alert after homes of Mahomes, Kelce burglarized
The NFL has issued a warning for players after thieves burglarized the homes of two of its biggest stars in the league. Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had their homes broken into within days of each other last month in the Kansas City metro area.
The NFL put out a security alert Thursday saying the criminals target players’ homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted.
NFL officials also recommended players avoid updating social media with check-ins or daily activities until the end of the day and refrain from posting expensive items on their accounts.
Volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupts for 7th time this year
In Iceland, a volcano has erupted for the seventh time just this year. This latest eruption happened late Wednesday night in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula.
Tourists had to be evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most famous tourist attraction. Iceland’s official tourism site said this most recent event, which created a nearly two-mile fissure, was significantly smaller than the last eruption in August which opened a 2.5-mile fissure.
Experts said the volcano had been dormant for 800 years before it became active again in 2021. Since then, a total of 10 eruptions have happened, including this latest one.
Ohtani, Judge named MLB’s most valuable players
Baseball superstars Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge both had award-winning seasons, and now, both have been named MVPs of their respective leagues.
For the second straight year, both MVPs have won unanimously!
2023 and 2024 are the only two times that both MVPs were unanimous selections. pic.twitter.com/tkmu3IHmem
In a unanimous decision on Thursday, the Dodgers’ Ohtani, who became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season, claimed his third MVP title. It’s his first in the National League. He joins Hall of Famer Frank Thomas as the only two players to get MVP honors in both leagues.
Judge received his second American League MVP in the last three years.
The two culminated their MVP seasons by meeting in last month’s World Series, where Ohtani and the Dodgers walked away with the championship.
‘Your body, my choice’: Harassment of women spikes in wake of election
In the week since President-elect Donald Trump was reelected, sexist and abusive attacks on women have ramped up on social media. That’s according to a new analysis from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), an international advocacy group that describes itself as “dedicated to powering solutions to extremism, hate and disinformation.”
Phrases like “your body, my choice,” “get back to the kitchen,” and “we own your body” have been trending on platforms like X and TikTok.
The group says the uptick in online harassment signals far-right internet trolls and extremists feel emboldened by the outcome of the election, which also heavily featured women’s rights issues.
In its report, the ISD said harassment is already moving offline, with young girls and parents sharing real-world experiences involving the phrase “your body, my choice” on social media, including “the phrase being directed at them within schools or chanted by young boys in classes.”
The analysis also found posts about repealing the 19th Amendment. The amendment guaranteed women the right to vote, rose 663% on X last week, compared to the week before.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces two new accusations of sexual assault of minors
Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is facing more allegations of sexual abuse against minors. Two new lawsuits were filed on Monday, Oct. 28. One of them claims that the hip-hop star drugged and sexually assaulted a 10-year-old boy in a New York City hotel room in 2005.
The other lawsuit accuses Combs of a similar assault on a 17-year-old boy who wanted to be a contestant on the MTV series “Making the Band” in 2008.
The 10-year-old victim said that a member of Combs’ entourage gave him a drug-laced soda that caused him to pass out, and Combs raped him. He said that Combs then threatened to hurt his parents if he told anyone about the incident.
The 17-year-old victim claimed that he was forced into sex acts with Combs and his bodyguard during an audition for “Making the Band.” Combs reportedly eliminated him from consideration after he said that Combs told him he showed too much reservation during the encounter.
Combs’ legal team denied the latest accusations and accused the lawyer behind the lawsuit of being motivated by “media attention,” adding, “Mr. Combs never assaulted or trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor.”
Combs is charged with racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, fraud, coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted he faces a maximum of life behind bars.
Authorities said Combs ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses and used threats of violence and abuse to satisfy his sexual desires. Combs’ faces more than 100 lawsuits stemming from accusations of sexual abuse.
Department of Justice launches operation at NYC jail housing Diddy
Federal investigators from two agencies reportedly launched an “interagency operation” on Monday, Oct. 28, at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Both Sean “Diddy” Combs and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried are housed in the facility.
The agencies involved include the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons, both revealing little about the reasons for the operation. They say that it is to ensure safety for both employees and inmates at the facility.
Federal authorities say the exact nature of the operation will not be revealed until it is complete, citing security interests. The agencies maintained that the actions were preplanned and there is “no active threat.”
The probe comes as the jail faces criticism for reportedly abhorrent conditions, widespread violence and multiple deaths. The DOJ and Bureau of Prisons previously vowed to fix the problems at the jail and enhance accountability.
Federal prosecutors charged nine inmates last month in connection with a series of attacks from April to August, including two inmates who were stabbed to death and another pierced through the spine with a makeshift icepick. Separately, a correctional officer is accused of shooting at a car during a high-speed chase that was unauthorized.
Prisoners have reportedly long complained over the conditions at the jail and claim they are barred from leaving their cells for showers, exercise, visits and calls. The facility is also reportedly plagued by rampant drug and contraband smuggling, sometimes organized by employees.
Former model says Donald Trump groped her in front of Jeffrey Epstein
A former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model claimed she was groped by former President Donald Trump in the 90s. She also said that Jeffrey Epstein was involved.
Stacey Williams sat down with CNN on Thursday, Oct. 24, for her first on-camera interview about the allegation.
Stacey Williams’ shares her story
Williams said she and Epstein, whom she was dating at the time, were walking together on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1993 when Epstein brought her to Trump Tower. That’s when she said Trump greeted them outside his office. She said he immediately pulled her into him and started groping her with Epstein standing there watching and smiling.
“Then the hands started moving, and they were on the, you know, on the side of my breasts, on my hips, back down to my butt, back up, sort of then, you know, they were just on me the whole time,” Williams said.
After leaving, Williams claimed Epstein berated her for allowing Trump to touch her.
“I just had this really like sickening feeling that it was coordinated, that somehow the whole thing was — I was rolled in there like a piece of meat for some kind of weird, twisted game,” Williams said.
Williams said she ended her relationship with Epstein after the encounter. She also said she didn’t know of his predatory behavior that would be revealed years later.
Trump was once close friends with Epstein. He publicly distanced himself from Epstein after the financier faced charges related to inappropriate sexual conduct with underage girls.
Williams also said she got a Mar-a-Lago postcard from Trump delivered to her modeling agency shortly after the incident at Trump Tower. It read, “Stacey, your home away from home. Love, Donald.”
CNN spoke to three friends of Williams who each said that she told them about the incident with Trump and Epstein in 2006, 2015 and 2016.
Trump campaign responds
The Trump campaign denied Williams’ allegations calling it a “fake story contrived by Kamala Harris’ campaign.”
Williams insists her decision to go public with this claim isn’t related to the 2024 election and that she hasn’t spoken to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign about the allegation.
She said sharing her story coincides with the release of a new documentary about Sports Illustrated. She said she mentioned the incident in the documentary.
Victim takes stand in French mass rape trial, waives right to be anonymous
A mass rape trial in France is changing how the country confronts the issue of sexual assault. Many are comparing the interest surrounding the case to the #MeToo Movement in the United States.
The alleged victim, Gisele Pelicot took the stand for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 23, to testify against her former husband, Dominique Pelicot.
Warning: Some may find the details of this case distressing
Dominique admitted he invited dozens of strangers over for nearly a decade to rape Gisele after he had drugged her.
Fifty other men are on trial.
Some said they were told she was a willing participant acting out a fantasy. Dominique denied this and said his co-defendants knew the situation.
He told the court he started drugging Gisele so she would have sex with him in the way he wanted and said he then met other men and invited them to join.
Authorities arrested Dominique in 2020 for filming up the skirts of women in a grocery store. Police later found thousands of pornographic photos and videos on his phone and laptop. He admitted to also recording all of the sexual encounters with Gisele and the men in separate files.
Gisele said from 2010 to 2020 she started suffering from health issues and later realized they were linked to the drugs Dominique was giving to her in secret.
“I’m a woman who’s totally destroyed,” Gisele said in court. “My life has tumbled into nothingness.”
Gisele has become admired by many in France for waving her right to remain anonymous and requesting an open trial.
A large crowd applauded her as she walked out of the courtroom Wednesday.
“It’s not courage. It’s determination to change things. This is not just my battle but the battle of all rape victims,” Gisele said.
Supporters marched for Gisele in more than a dozen cities in France. Some organizations are asking the French government to expand the law on rape to include a clause of consent.
The trial is only about halfway through due to the number of defendants who have been questioned.