Diddy Accused of Sexual Assault in New Lawsuit
In a new lawsuit filed early today, a woman named Joie Dickerson-Neal is accusing Diddy of drugging her, sexually assaulting her, and recording said assault without her knowledge. The incident is said to have happened on January 3, 1991, when she was a college student at Syracuse University.
The plaintiff says she had reluctantly gone to dinner with the music mogul (born Sean Combs) and had left her drink unattended with him and later took a hit of a blunt after he pressured her. She claims he sexually assaulted her later that night and couldn’t defend herself because she had been drugged.
Days after the alleged assault, a friend of hers, DeVanté Swing (one quarter of Jodeci), told her he and others had seen a sex tape featuring her and Diddy, and that he was scared to speak out because his group — which was still months away from the release of their debut album — was signed Uptown Records, where Diddy was a talent director at the time.
Joie Dickerson-Neal said the incident led to her being admitted to a hospital for severe depression and suicidal ideation, and she eventually dropped out of college. She later worked in the music industry, but left it after Diddy’s rise to fame.
In addition to Diddy, the suit names Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records and Combs Enterprises as defendants. It accuses Diddy of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sex trafficking and revenge porn.
Dickerson-Neal says Cassie’s lawsuit is what moved her to file a lawsuit of her own. It come just one day before the New York Adult Survivors Act expires. The law opened a one-year lookback window that allowed survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to sue their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred.
In response to the suit, an attorney for Diddy said, “This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head. Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
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