A former model, Crystal McKinney, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing hip-hop mogul Sean Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex on him at his New York City recording studio in 2003. The lawsuit adds to the mounting legal troubles facing Combs, who is already embroiled in multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
According to the complaint, when McKinney was 22, an unnamed fashion designer invited her to a Men’s Fashion Week event at a Manhattan restaurant. There, she met Combs, known for his influential role in the music industry and as the host of MTV’s “Making the Band.” Later that night, McKinney alleges that Combs invited her to his recording studio, where she was offered alcohol and marijuana that she later suspected was laced with another substance. McKinney claims that Combs led her to the bathroom, forcibly pushed her head towards his crotch, and, after she initially refused, compelled her to perform oral sex. She states that she subsequently lost consciousness and awoke in a cab, realizing she had been sexually assaulted.
Combs, 54, has been facing increasing legal challenges. Last year, his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, filed a lawsuit accusing him of years of sexual and physical abuse. Although that lawsuit was settled within a day, it prompted three more suits from women accusing Combs of rape. In March, two of Combs’s homes were raided as part of an investigation, which officials have indicated includes a human trafficking inquiry.
The producer and businessman, also known as Puff Daddy and Diddy, has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them false and “sickening.” He has characterized the plaintiffs as individuals seeking “a quick payday.”
Combs’s conduct has been under heightened scrutiny following the release of a CNN video from 2016, which shows him striking, kicking, and dragging Cassie, corroborating part of her lawsuit.
McKinney, who filed her lawsuit in Federal District Court in Manhattan, said that learning about the other lawsuits against Combs prompted her to come forward with her own allegations. Given that the alleged incident occurred over two decades ago, which is outside the statute of limitations, McKinney is leveraging New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act. This act, for a limited time, allows accusers to file civil complaints involving claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.
The new lawsuit by McKinney brings further attention to the serious allegations against Combs. As the legal process unfolds, it remains to be seen how these claims will impact his public image and business ventures.
