New $10 million lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: allegations of drugging and sexual assault revealed

Disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with a new $10 million (around R177 million) lawsuit from a former music video dancer who claims he was drugged, raped and subsequently contracted a sexually transmitted infection. 

The lawsuit was filed by Edmond Laurent, a former model and actor known for his appearances in Britney Spears and Lil’ Kim’s music videos.

The 32-page complaint was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, July 1, detailing a series of alleged incidents that purportedly occurred in the late 2000s across various luxury hotels in Los Angeles, including The Intercontinental in Century City, SLS Beverly Hills and the Mondrian in West Hollywood.

Laurent, who performed under the name “Islander”, claims Combs and an unidentified woman conspired to drug him and coerce him into non-consensual sexual acts.

The lawsuit states that Combs allegedly attended a bachelorette party where Laurent was hired for entertainment.

Following this, Laurent was invited back by a woman who, he alleges, was complicit in a plot to drug him.

He claimed that he was pressured into consuming alcohol and using various drugs, which left him incapacitated.

According to the court documents, his experience included being spiked with drugs in what he believed was orange juice, resulting in a brutal brunch of degradation upon waking up, naked and in pain.

Weeks later, warts appeared around the rim of Laurent’s rectum, the complaint says, and he was diagnosed with condyloma. Laurent began vomiting so frequently that he lost his ability to retain solid food or liquids.

As a result, he suffered health issues that led to gastric surgery and eventually stomach cancer, the suit said.

His representation is led by attorneys Rodney Diggs and Tyrone Blackburn, who are known for their involvement in other high-profile cases against Combs.

Diggs and Blackburn have filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of other victims.

This lawsuit arrives amid a critical moment in Combs’s ongoing criminal trial, where he faces federal charges including sex trafficking and racketeering.

On Tuesday, July 1, the jury reached a partial verdict but was instructed to keep deliberating on Wednesday, July 2. 

If convicted of the most serious charges, Combs could be sentenced to life in prison. 

In addition, the famed rapper is facing dozens of civil lawsuits filed by both men and women who say they were sexually assaulted and raped in incidents that date back to the 1990s.

“This lawsuit is not just about seeking justice for one man, it is about holding powerful individuals accountable when they use their influence to exploit, degrade and destroy lives behind closed doors,” Diggs said in an online statement.

“For years, Mr Laurent suffered in silence, his career, body and spirit irreparably damaged by the trauma he endured.

“Today, that silence ends. No amount of fame, fortune, or intimidation should shield anyone from being held responsible for their actions.”