Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing fresh legal trouble after former stylist Deonte Nash filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Wednesday (September 24), accusing the Hip-Hop mogul of sexually assaulting and physically abusing him over a 10-year period while employed by Diddy and his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
The complaint alleges Diddy subjected Nash to repeated sexual battery, threats and violence between 2008 and 2018, including an incident at a 2017 Bad Boy Reunion Tour party where Diddy allegedly grabbed Nash’s buttocks and told him, “You need to be out there slangin’ that dick baby.”
Nash, who testified earlier this year during Diddy’s federal criminal trial, claims the abuse began shortly after he started working for the music executive and escalated over time.
In one 2013 incident, Nash said he tried to intervene as Diddy assaulted Ventura.
“He threw me off,” Nash testified. “[He] continued to hit Cassie until her head hit the edge of the bed frame. … When he noticed the blood, he just panicked.”
Nash Accuses Diddy Of “Years Of Abuse”
The lawsuit also accuses Diddy of groping Nash, pinching his nipples and once forcing Nash’s hand onto his genitals.
Nash alleges Diddy used his power and influence to keep him silent, stating in the filing that Combs was “obsessed” with his sexuality and used “degrading comments” as a method of control.
“After enduring years of abuse, I finally found the courage during the criminal trial, and I am now ready to take action,” Nash said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “Sean Combs has never taken accountability for the years of harm he inflicted on me and so many others.”
The lawsuit names several of Diddy’s business entities as co-defendants, including Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Global, and seeks damages for sexual battery, assault, human trafficking and emotional distress.
“Combs used his power and threats of harm to compel Mr. Nash to do his bidding and prevent him from leaving defendants’ control,” the lawsuit states. “Though defendants have silenced him for years, Mr. Nash is no longer willing to give in to this fear for his life.”
Diddy, 55, was convicted in June on two federal counts related to prostitution but was cleared of racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He remains in federal custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday (October 3).
Attempts to reach Diddy’s representatives for comment were unsuccessful. His legal team has previously denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, stating Diddy “never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor.”
Nash said he remained silent for years out of fear but decided to speak publicly after being subpoenaed to testify in Diddy’s trial. He spent two days on the witness stand detailing the alleged abuse.
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