Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, a well-known hip-hop entrepreneur; has denied being accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in New York City at a music recording studio in 2003.
According to the Associated Press, Shawn recently filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit through his attorneys while pointing out the fact that there was no evidence provided and questioning why it took so long for her to file charges. The case came up as opposed to another one. She asserts that Diddy raped her with Harvey Pierre and another person whose name is still undisclosed. According to her, she had been flown into New York on a private jet, after which she was forcibly injected with drugs and alcohol and thereafter raped.
Combs’ defense lawyers dismissed the allegations, saying that they were baseless and unprovable since the events happened almost two decades ago. They equally questioned if this suit had not been breached under NY law; even claiming it was too late then or just after this period expired. It should be noted here that Combs legal battles are part of many cases coming under Adult Survivors Act in New York temporarily freezing some statutory deadlines regarding sexual assault actions done years back or even decades past. That statute however went off before this particular case against Combs which was lodged pursuant to NYC’s Gender Motivated Violence Victims Protection Act which allows claims of sexual harassment long after statutes of limitation have elapsed (Civil Complaint of Trespass Claim).
However, his legal team argued that the lawsuit should still be dismissed because it was filed after the deadline under New York state law. Their argument is that city laws cannot trump state ones on such issues making their filing untimely by August 2021.
Last week, Judge ruled over this issue stating if goes beyond its present stage then those behind class-action could identify themselves while Coombs’ lawyers also believe openness is vital for fairness during trial.
Combs is currently facing multiple lawsuits and investigations, including ones by singer Cassie and a recent sex trafficking investigation carried out by the US Department of Homeland Security. Notwithstanding the legal scrutiny, Combs has not been convicted of any criminal offence.
As long as the hearing is taking place, Mr Combs will insist on his innocence and come up with an aggressive defense which suggests that he is ready for a prolonged trial process.
