Joseph Sherman, a former bodyguard mentioned in a lawsuit from September that accused him and Sean “Diddy” Combs of “brutally raping” a woman in 2001, has filed a defamation lawsuit against his accuser, Thalia Graves.

In documents reviewed by YSL News, Sherman filed his lawsuit against Graves in a New York federal court on Friday. Sherman’s legal team described Graves’ claims as “completely false and unsubstantiated,” asserting that he only worked with Combs in 1999, prior to the time frame of the events mentioned in Graves’ allegations.

According to the suit, Sherman’s attorneys accused Graves and her legal team of “attempting to extort him,” stating they made “outrageous, disgusting, and life-altering accusations  with no concern for the truth.” They emphasized, “Joseph Sherman has never encountered Thalia Graves, let alone assaulted her.”

As a consequence of Graves’ allegations, Sherman claims to have experienced significant reputational damage, emotional distress, and financial loss. He also alleges that Graves contacted him, asking for “false testimony against Sean Combs” in exchange for excluding him from legal actions.

A representative for Graves declined to provide comments. YSL News has also reached out to Sherman’s and Combs’ teams for their responses.

Thalia Graves Accuses Diddy and Joseph Sherman of Drugging and Raping Her

Graves initiated her lawsuit in September in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as indicated by court records reviewed by YSL News.

In her allegations, Graves explained that she was in a relationship with one of Combs’ staff members at the time and accused Combs and Sherman of drugging, restraining, and assaulting her at the Bad Boy Records studio in New York around the summer of 2001. She seeks legal remedy for gender-motivated violence and alleged violations of New York law for purportedly recording and distributing footage of her assault.

After filing her lawsuit, Graves held a press conference alongside her attorney, the renowned Gloria Allred. An emotional Graves took time to compose herself before delivering her statement.

“The internal torment of being sexually assaulted is profoundly deep and difficult to articulate,” Graves said through tears. “It’s more than just the physical harm inflicted during the assault.”

In November 2023, Graves discovered that Combs and Sherman allegedly recorded the assault, as stated in her lawsuit. She claimed they displayed this footage to “multiple men, aiming to publicly humiliate her and her boyfriend,” and even sold it as pornography.

Graves alleged that when she approached Sherman to persuade him to destroy the tape or return it to her, he did not respond.

For damages, Graves is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. She also requests a court order mandating Combs and Sherman to destroy all existing copies of the video of her alleged sexual assault, prohibiting any future distribution of it.

Graves’ claims are part of approximately 30 civil lawsuits filed in the past year targeting Combs for allegations of sexual and physical assault, sex trafficking, battery, and gender discrimination, among others. He has consistently denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and facilitating prostitution in September.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN provides support via the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and online at Hotline.RAINN.org, including options in Spanish at RAINN.org/es.