section_path: Legal issues/Lawsuits
section_name: Lawsuits
paragraph_text: Lawsuits
  
  In May 2017, Cindy Rueda, who previously had served as Combs's personal chef, filed a lawsuit against Combs in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming, among other things, sexual harassment and retaliation. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount in February 2019.
  
  Cassie Ventura, with whom Combs had a long-term relationship, filed a lawsuit against him on November 16, 2023, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. The lawsuit also suggested that Combs was responsible for blowing up Ventura's then-boyfriend Kid Cudi 's car. Combs and Ventura reached an undisclosed settlement the following day, and the lawsuit was dismissed.
  
  Two further lawsuits were filed against Combs by two additional complainants, alleging sexual assault and revenge porn, on November 23, 2023. One of the lawsuits claimed that in 1990 or 1991, Combs and Aaron Hall had sexually abused a woman, with Combs recording the incident.
  
  On May 17, 2024, CNN released surveillance footage of Combs physically assaulting Ventura at the InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, on March 5, 2016. This incident was among the allegations made in the lawsuit. On May 19, 2024, Combs issued a video apology on Instagram and Facebook, stating he was "truly sorry" and that his actions were "inexcusable". Combs's assault of Ventura was stopped by hotel staff, after which Combs allegedly tried to bribe the staff, according to a federal indictment in September 2024.
  
  On October 1, 2024, the Washington Post reported that a team of lawyers will be filing as many as 120 more lawsuits, covering assaults that took place during the 2000s and 2010s. Plaintiffs, 25 of whom are minors, are both male and female. Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys on the team, said most of the alleged assaults took place in New York State. Half of the alleged victims say they reported the assault to police, to a doctor, or to the FBI. Some claim to have been drugged or offered hush money. Additional potential defendants other than Combs are also to be named in the lawsuits: "The names that we're going to name, assuming our investigators confirm and corroborate what we've been told, are names that will shock you", Buzbee commented at a press conference in Houston. "I'm talking here about not just the cowardly but complicit bystanders, that is those people that we know watched this behavior occur and did nothing. I'm talking about the people that participated, encouraged it, egged it on. They know who they are." Buzbee filed the first six of these lawsuits in New York federal court on October 13, 2024. Andrew Van Arsdale of the AVA Law Group, which is working with Buzbee, said they have heard abuse allegations against Combs from some three thousand people, and their team is currently actively examining another hundred potential cases. Erica Wolff, a member of Combs's legal team, told the BBC that Combs "looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation".
  
  In 2025, Peacock released the documentary movie Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy about Combs' life and current legal issues, and Investigation Discovery released a four-part docuseries Fall of Diddy. On February 12, 2025, Combs' representatives filed a defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Ample Entertainment alleging Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy contains defamatory statements.
  
  In May 2017, Cindy Rueda, who previously had served as Combs's personal chef, filed a lawsuit against Combs in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming, among other things, sexual harassment and retaliation. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount in February 2019.
  
  Cassie Ventura, with whom Combs had a long-term relationship, filed a lawsuit against him on November 16, 2023, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. The lawsuit also suggested that Combs was responsible for blowing up Ventura's then-boyfriend Kid Cudi 's car. Combs and Ventura reached an undisclosed settlement the following day, and the lawsuit was dismissed.
  
  Two further lawsuits were filed against Combs by two additional complainants, alleging sexual assault and revenge porn, on November 23, 2023. One of the lawsuits claimed that in 1990 or 1991, Combs and Aaron Hall had sexually abused a woman, with Combs recording the incident.
  
  On May 17, 2024, CNN released surveillance footage of Combs physically assaulting Ventura at the InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, on March 5, 2016. This incident was among the allegations made in the lawsuit. On May 19, 2024, Combs issued a video apology on Instagram and Facebook, stating he was "truly sorry" and that his actions were "inexcusable". Combs's assault of Ventura was stopped by hotel staff, after which Combs allegedly tried to bribe the staff, according to a federal indictment in September 2024.
  
  On October 1, 2024, the Washington Post reported that a team of lawyers will be filing as many as 120 more lawsuits, covering assaults that took place during the 2000s and 2010s. Plaintiffs, 25 of whom are minors, are both male and female. Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys on the team, said most of the alleged assaults took place in New York State. Half of the alleged victims say they reported the assault to police, to a doctor, or to the FBI. Some claim to have been drugged or offered hush money. Additional potential defendants other than Combs are also to be named in the lawsuits: "The names that we're going to name, assuming our investigators confirm and corroborate what we've been told, are names that will shock you", Buzbee commented at a press conference in Houston. "I'm talking here about not just the cowardly but complicit bystanders, that is those people that we know watched this behavior occur and did nothing. I'm talking about the people that participated, encouraged it, egged it on. They know who they are." Buzbee filed the first six of these lawsuits in New York federal court on October 13, 2024. Andrew Van Arsdale of the AVA Law Group, which is working with Buzbee, said they have heard abuse allegations against Combs from some three thousand people, and their team is currently actively examining another hundred potential cases. Erica Wolff, a member of Combs's legal team, told the BBC that Combs "looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation".
  
  In 2025, Peacock released the documentary movie Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy about Combs' life and current legal issues, and Investigation Discovery released a four-part docuseries Fall of Diddy. On February 12, 2025, Combs' representatives filed a defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Ample Entertainment alleging Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy contains defamatory statements.