The cases against Diddy aren’t going away. Neither are the conspiracy theories.
Since Sean “Diddy” Combs’ indictment and arrest in September, more than two dozen civil lawsuits have been filed against the media mogul for sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking and more. Many of the complaints, as well as the federal charges, depict a pattern in which Combs allegedly exploited his stature across music, fashion and entertainment to victimize those who looked up to him — including minors. The federal charges against the mogul not only accuse him of misconduct, but also of using his employees, record label and many business outfits to organize and facilitate his crimes for years.
As these allegations have played out in court proceedings and legal documents, a web of rumors and speculation has also developed online. It has been bolstered by social media platforms and algorithms, and at times threatens to shroud the facts of the civil and criminal cases against Combs.
Combs has repeatedly denied, via his attorneys, that he has ever trafficked, drugged or sexually assaulted anyone. And in one filing, his representation wrote that “by treating these ridiculous claims as anything but a pathetic extortion scheme, the government is fueling the fire of online conspiracy theories and making it impossible for Mr. Combs to have a fair trial.” But the deluge of accusations against him, a surveillance video that shows him kicking his ex-girlfriend, the singer Cassie Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel and new claims of Combs’ aggressive behavior in the past have led many to wonder how such abuses of power went unchecked for so long — and who else might be complicit in cultivating a culture of silence around the alleged crimes.
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