In a new chapter of the ongoing legal challenges facing Sean "Diddy" Combs, a New York judge has dismissed the majority of claims in a $60 million lawsuit filed by Sara Rivers, a former member of the group Da Band from the reality show "Making the Band." This ruling is the latest development in a high-profile legal battle that has drawn attention to allegations of sexual misconduct and "inhumane" working conditions against the music mogul.
According to court documents, Judge Jed S. Rakoff dismissed 21 of the 22 counts in Rivers' lawsuit with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled. The lawsuit, filed in February, accused Combs of sexual harassment, assault and battery, forced labor, and creating a hostile work environment during her time on the MTV show in the early 2000s. Rivers had also named several of Combs’ companies and business associates, including his mother, Janice Combs, as defendants in the suit.
The remaining charge in Rivers’ complaint, which alleges Combs violated the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, has not been dismissed with or without prejudice, leaving the possibility that Rivers could renew her claim in a new lawsuit. This single unresolved count keeps the legal battle alive, despite the dismissal of the majority of the claims.
In her lawsuit, Rivers provided a detailed account of the alleged abuse, including an incident where she claimed Combs cornered her in a music studio, backed her into a corner, and "ran his left hand across her breasts." The suit also alleged that Combs was a volatile boss who would mock Rivers' struggles with bulimia and other issues. She further claimed that she was forced to work under grueling conditions with minimal pay and that she was "blackballed" in the music industry after the group, Da Band, broke up in 2004.
In response to the lawsuit, a representative for Combs called the allegations "meritless, time-barred, and legally deficient." The judge’s ruling, which found that most of the claims were filed past the statute of limitations, appeared to side with this defense. A statement from Combs' legal team expressed pleasure with the court's decision, saying it "swiftly dismissed these baseless claims."
Despite this legal setback, Sara Rivers has vowed to continue her fight. In a statement on social media, she emphasized that the "most serious and personal claim" of sexual assault "remains very much alive." She insisted that the fight has always been about "truth, accountability and justice for me and for every other survivor that has been told they should just give up." Her attorney also stated that they plan on appealing the dismissal of the 21 claims.
