Arrest and abuse allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs: A chronology of the most important events

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs is arrested by federal authorities in New York after a grand jury indictment that prosecutors are asking a judge to unseal. The big move comes 10 months after allegations of sexual and other abuse were made against the music mogul and prosecutors announced that he was being investigated for sex trafficking.

Here’s a look at the most important events that have occurred since the end of last year.

16 November 2023

Cassie says in a lawsuit that Combs abused her for years, including beating and raping her. Cassie, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura, signed to Combs’ label in 2005, and the two were an on-again, off-again couple for more than a decade starting in 2007. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, says Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and subjected her to “brutal” beatings. It says he drugged her, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home in 2018 when she tried to end the relationship. Combs “vehemently” denies the allegations through his attorney.

17 November 2023

With breathtaking speed, Ventura’s lawsuit is settled the day after filing. The terms of the agreement are confidential. “We have decided to settle this matter amicably,” Combs said in a statement. “I wish Cassie and her family the best. Love.”

23 November 2023

Two other women accuse Combs of sexual abuse in lawsuits filed on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Acta New York law that gives victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil suits regardless of the statute of limitations. The lawsuits, filed by Joi Dickerson and another woman who was not named, accuse Combs, then a talent director, party promoter and rising figure in New York City’s hip-hop scene, of sexual assault, beating and forcible drugging in the early 1990s. Combs’ lawyers call the allegations false.

28 November 2023

Combs temporarily resigns as chairman of his cable television network Revolt due to the wave of sexual abuse allegations. It would be one of several business setbacks for Combs caused by the lawsuits.

December 6, 2023

A woman claims in another lawsuit that she was raped by Combs and two other men in 2003, when she was 17. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, says she lived in a Detroit suburb and was flown to a New York studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol that made her unable to have sex, and the men took turns raping her.

On the same day, Combs posted a statement on Instagram in which he largely denied all allegations in the growing series of lawsuits. “I did not do any of the horrible things I am accused of,” the post said. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

February 26, 2024

A music producer files a lawsuit Combs claims he sexually harassed him and forced him to have sex with prostitutes. The lawsuit contains a long list of potentially illegal drug- and sex-related activities that the producer says he witnessed. A lawyer for Combs calls the allegations “pure fiction.”

March 25, 2024

Homeland Security Investigations issues search warrants early morning Raids on Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami, where the Associated Press reports the investigation is sex trafficking. Combs was at one of his Miami homes at the time. His two sons in his Los Angeles home were handcuffed during the search, Combs’ attorneys said. Officials did not say whether the searches were prompted by the civil lawsuits, but Combs’ attorneys said they believed so.

March 26, 2024

Combs’ lawyer calls The raids were “a gross use of military force” and Combs is “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name. Attorney Aaron Dyer says there is “no excuse for the excessive use of force and hostility by the authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

4 April 2024

A lawsuit that names Combs as co-defendant claims his son, Christian “King” Combs, sexually assaulted a woman who worked on a yacht chartered by his father. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges Sean Combs created the circumstances that led to the assault and then paid to cover it up. A lawyer for both men calls the allegations “outrageous.”

26 April 2024

In the first major legal counterattack by Combs and his team file a motion to dismiss multiple elements of Dickerson’s lawsuit because they were not illegal in 1991, when the alleged incidents occurred. While the legal objections are procedural in nature, the lawsuit also criticizes the “numerous false, offensive and offensive allegations” in the lawsuit.

May 10, 2024

Combs asks a federal judge to dismiss the December 6 lawsuit It alleges that he and two co-defendants a 17-year-old girl raped from Michigan in a New York recording studio. Again, the objections are procedural — they claim the suit was filed too late under the law — but the court document calls the allegations “false and abhorrent.”

May 17, 2024

CNN broadcasts video This shows Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely resembles an attack she describes in her lawsuit, which says Combs had already beaten her that night and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke up and chased her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Ventura, kicks her and throws her to the ground. The lawsuit claims Combs paid $50,000 at the time to have the video removed. Combs’ representatives had no immediate comment.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office says it cannot charge Combs with the attack shown in the video because the statute of limitations has expired and no case has been presented to the District Attorney’s Office.

May 19, 2024

Combs publishes a Video on Instagram and Facebook apologizes for attacking Ventura. It is its first real admission of wrongdoing since the recent spate of allegations began.

“My behavior in that video is inexcusable,” Combs says. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted when I did it. I still am today. I sought professional help. I started therapy, went to rehab. I had to ask God for his grace and mercy. I am so sorry.”

June 10, 2024

At the request of New York Mayor Eric Adams, Combs is returning a key to the city. Adams sent letters to Combs revoking the award as part of the fallout from the leak of the video of Combs hitting Cassie. Adams says he was “deeply disturbed” by the video. Adams awarded Combs the Key at a ceremony in 2023.

One day earlier, Howard University announced that it had revoked an honorary degree Combs and dissolved a scholarship program in his name.

26 August 2024

As part of a multifaceted defense against the lawsuits filed against him, calls on a federal judge the music producer’s lawsuit from February. His lawyers say the lawsuit is riddled with “fabric,” “sensational theatrics,” “legally meaningless allegations” and “blatant falsehoods” whose sole purpose is to “create a media frenzy and exploit it to force a settlement.”

11 September 2024

Diddy is being sued by singer Dawn Richard, who describes years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping, that she suffered while he helped her launch her career. Richard, a member of the girl group Danity Kane and known for her appearances on the MTV reality show “Making the Band,” claims in the lawsuit that she witnessed Combs abusing Cassie and was afraid of the mogul.

Diddy’s representatives accuse Richard of “attempting to rewrite history” by “fabricating a series of false claims in the hopes of raising money – conveniently timed to coincide with the release of her album and press tour.”

16 September 2024

Combs will be arrested in New York on Monday night following an indictment by a grand jury. Details of the charges have not been released, but federal officials say they will ask a judge a day later to unseal the indictment. Combs’ lawyer calls it an unjustified prosecution of an “imperfect person” who is “not a criminal.”

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The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they speak out publicly, as the people named here have done.