Accuser of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Breaks Silence: ‘I Felt Helpless’
A man accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs has come forward publicly for the first time.
“I didn’t realize anything was wrong until I had the second drink, but by then it was too late,” he recounted to CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister in a Tuesday interview.
“The level of incapacitation was unbelievable. I felt completely powerless,” he said.
The lawsuit further alleges that Diddy forced the accuser into a vehicle, restrained him, and assaulted him sexually.
“I was screaming for him to stop. It was extremely painful, and he acted like it was nothing. He seemed so disconnected from the reality of the situation; it was incredibly abusive,” he told CNN.
There were some differences between the account shared by the accuser on CNN and the details in the civil lawsuit. While the lawsuit claims the incident occurred in 2006 and states the accuser has never been married largely due to the trauma from the assault, in the interview, the man stated the incident actually happened in 2007 and that he had kept it from his then-wife due to the shame he felt.
After CNN highlighted these discrepancies, the accuser’s legal team revisited the complaint and acknowledged that errors were made during the initial filing as they rushed to present it in court.
Doe’s allegations are part of a much larger array of legal challenges that Combs currently faces, as he is awaiting a trial in federal prison. He is accused of sex trafficking and racketeering in a multi-faceted abuse scheme that reportedly spans several decades.
Recently, another rap superstar, Jay-Z, became entangled in the case after one of the complaints against Combs was modified to name him as a previously unidentified celebrity accused of assaulting a victim alongside Diddy.
Jay-Z has strongly denied the accusation and is seeking legal avenues to have the lawsuit dismissed.
“My wife and I will need to talk to our children about these claims, especially since one of them is at an age where her friends will undoubtedly see the reports and have questions about it. We’ll need to explain the cruelty and greed of certain individuals,” stated the rapper, who is married to singer Beyoncé.
He also criticized the attorney representing the accuser, Tony Buzzbee, labeling him as an “ambulance chaser.” Buzzbee represents several of Diddy’s accusers, including the one who recently spoke with CNN, and is recognized for tackling high-profile cases.
Following Diddy’s indictment, Buzzbee held a press conference in October, calling for potential clients to reach out via a 1-800 number if they wished to come forward. He also hinted at the involvement of other prominent figures in Diddy’s circle who could face scrutiny.
“There will come a day when we will reveal names beyond Sean Combs,” Buzzbee stated during the conference. “The names we disclose, assuming our investigators validate what we’ve been informed, will be shocking.”
While the individual who spoke to CNN retained anonymity, this may not apply to all accused victims.
Earlier this month, a judge ruled that one of Diddy’s accusers, who filed a lawsuit against him and the former president of Bad Boy Records, Harve Pierre, about an alleged gang rape in 2003, must reveal her identity.
The plaintiff’s actual name was disclosed as Anna Kane. She claims she was just 17 during the assault and was lured to Combs’ recording studio on a private jet by Pierre.
“I had hoped to remain anonymous while seeking justice for what happened to me as a teenager. The defendants’ request for my name was an effort to intimidate me, but I refuse to be intimidated. I stand ready to proceed and hold accountable those who have harmed me,” Doug Wigdor, Kane’s attorney, stated on her behalf.