Rapper and music mogul Sean Combs is currently facing allegations of sexual misconduct from 120 new accusers, including one who claims to have been abused at the age of nine.
Tony Buzbee, a Houston-based lawyer representing the claimants, expects lawsuits to be filed within the next month.
According to Buzbee, the accusers include 60 men and 60 women, with 25 of them being minors at the time of the alleged incidents. The allegations span from 1991 to the present year.
At a news conference, Buzbee stated, “This type of sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation should never happen in the United States or anywhere else.”
He further commented, “This should have never been allowed to go on for so long. This conduct has created a mass of individuals who are injured, scared and scarred.”
Most of the lawsuits are expected to be filed in New York and Los Angeles, although some cases are still under review. Combs, also known as P Diddy or Puff Daddy, is currently awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
His lawyer responded to the new allegations by stating, “He cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus.” The lawyer added, “Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.”
The majority of Buzbee’s clients come from California, New York, Georgia, and Florida, representing accusers from more than 25 states in total.
Combs also faces other lawsuits filed in the past year, and the recent allegations follow a video released in May showing him attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, for which he later apologised, calling his actions “inexcusable.”
Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn since he pleaded not guilty on 17 September to charges related to using his “power and prestige” to coerce women into drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers.
He has also pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking and vows to clear his name.
His legal team proposed a $50 million (£37.8 million) bail package, offering house arrest at his Florida mansion with GPS monitoring and strict visitor limits, but his applications for bail have been denied so far.
Combs, a three-time Grammy Award winner, founded Bad Boy Records in 1993 and remains one of the most prominent figures in hip-hop.
