The music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his 26-year-old son Christian “King” Combs are both named in a lawsuit that accuses the younger man of sexual assault onboard a yacht in December 2022.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles superior court on Thursday and first reported by Rolling Stone, accuses the younger Combs of assault, battery, sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The elder Combs, who is facing several lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and was recently subject to federal raids in a sex-trafficking investigation, is accused of aiding and abetting.
The 31-page complaint on behalf of 25-year-old Grace O’Marcaigh describes events aboard the yacht chartered by Sean Combs for a family trip to St Martin in December 2022. The trip was “sold as a wholesome family excursion” but, according to the suit, turned into a “hedonistic environment”, with suspected sex workers and other celebrities brought on board.
O’Marcaigh, who worked as a bartender and the only onboard steward for the yacht, alleges that in the early hours of 28 December, Christian Combs pressured her to drink a shot of tequila that she “quickly suspected” had been spiked with drugs. Combs allegedly prevented her from leaving and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
The lawsuit further claims that a video of the younger Combs groping and kissing O’Marcaigh was filmed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a music producer who himself filed a lawsuit against the elder Combs in January alleging sexual assault and forcing him to hire sex workers. The complaint also includes photos of bruises on O’Marcaigh’s forearm where Christian Combs allegedly grabbed her.
O’Marcaigh claims she escaped Christian Combs when a fellow yacht employee purposefully looked for her because she had been gone a long time. According to the suit, she informed the boat’s captain about what had happened, but the incident was not investigated. O’Marcaigh believes that is because Sean Combs paid the captain to keep everything quiet.
Since the alleged incident, O’Marcaigh has suffered from anxiety, panic attacks and her severe suicidal ideation, according to the complaint. She seeks unspecified damages.
Aaron Dyer, an attorney for both men, dismissed the suit in a statement as “another lewd and meritless claim from Tyrone Blackburn”, the lawyer representing O’Marcaigh and Jones. “This complaint is filled with the same kind of manufactured lies and irrelevant facts we’ve come to expect from Blackburn,” the statement continued, noting that a federal judge in New York criticized Blackburn for “improperly [filing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly”. Dyer said he would be filing a motion to dismiss O’Marcaigh’s claim.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal troubles for the influential music mogul, who just last year performed with Christian at the MTV Video Music Awards as he received a global icon award as part of a long-gestating music comeback. In November of last year, Sean Combs settled a lawsuit with his longtime ex-partner Cassie, a day after the singer’s explosive complaint detailed years of alleged rapes, physical abuse and sex trafficking by the rapper. A separate lawsuit accused Combs and two other men of gang rape in 2003, when the anonymous plaintiff was 17.
And in late March, federal homeland security officers and other law enforcement officials raided Combs’s properties in Los Angeles, Miami and New York as part of a sex-trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York. Christian and his elder brother Justin were detained during the raid in Los Angeles but later released.
Sean Combs has denied all accusations, promising to “fight for my name, my family and for the truth” in a statement posted to X. His attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit accusing him of gang rape, saying he “never participated in, witnessed or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever”. Following the allegations, Combs resigned as chair of Revolt, the digital media company he co-launched in 2013, and his Hulu reality show was cancelled.
• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
