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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of 2003 sexual assault in lawsuit

Published:Wednesday | May 22, 2024 | 9:06 AM
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs participates in “The Four” panel during the FOX Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, California, January 4, 2018. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — A former model accused Sean 'Diddy' Combs of sexually assaulting her at his New York City recording studio in 2003 in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the latest in a series of allegations against the embattled hip-hop mogul.

Crystal McKinney said she was a successful 22-year-old model when she met Combs at a restaurant during Men's Fashion Week in Manhattan.

Combs invited her to his recording studio later that night, according to the federal complaint filed in New York City.

The lawsuit alleges that McKinney arrived to find Combs drinking and smoking joints with several other men.

She smoked some marijuana, which she “later came to understand” was laced with a narcotic or intoxicating substance, the lawsuit says.

She felt as though she was floating.

Combs led her to the bathroom, where the sexual assault took place, according to the lawsuit.

Combs led her back to the studio and she lost consciousness, the lawsuit says.

She later awakened in a taxi and realised that she had been sexually assaulted, according to the lawsuit.

Combs' representatives did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as McKinney has done.

The lawsuit was filed days after CNN aired security video that shows Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Combs on Sunday released a video admitting he attacked Cassie in the hotel hallway, saying he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”

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