Two new lawsuits accuse Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of historical sexual assault

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs faces two new lawsuits filed in New York Supreme Court on Monday, alleging sexual assault of minors in separate incidents in 2005 and 2008.

The first lawsuit alleges Combs, 54, sexually assaulted a 10-year-old aspiring actor and rapper in a New York City hotel room in 2005. According to court documents, the child was given a drugged beverage by an associate before the alleged assault.

The second filing claims Combs forced a 17-year-old into sexual acts during a three-day audition for the television show Making the Band in 2008. The lawsuit states the contestant was later eliminated from the competition and remained out of the music industry for seven years.

Both cases were filed under New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which permits lawsuits beyond standard limitation periods.

Combs’s legal team denied the allegations in an emailed statement: “Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”

The lawsuits add to mounting legal challenges for Combs, who is currently in a New York City jail after pleading not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges following his arrest on 16 September.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Anthony Buzbee, who represents accusers in previous lawsuits against Combs, was accused by the music mogul’s lawyers of seeking publicity.