Sean “Diddy” Combs expected to face 120 more charges

Lawyers announced Tuesday they plan to file at least 120 lawsuits on behalf of people who say they were sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy” Combs and his associates.

Houston attorney Tony Buzbee spoke alongside sexual abuse victim advocates and co-counsel Andrew Van Arsdale of AVA Law Group at a news conference and added that Many alleged victims had already spoken to law enforcement authorities, including the FBI.

Lawyers are currently collecting police reports and medical records from hospitals, according to Buzbee. Some of the alleged victims had found drugs in their systems while seeking medical treatment following the sexual abuse, he said.

One drug in particular that consistently appeared in the alleged victims’ test results was xylazine, also known as tranq, a non-opioid sedative.

He said most of the alleged victims they represent were afraid to speak out until Combs was arrested and charged by federal authorities in September. He pleaded not guilty.

“They fear backlash in their communities, they fear backlash in their own families. They fear reprisals from the perpetrators and their accomplices. They are rightfully afraid for their personal safety,” Buzbee said. “I expect that through this process, many powerful people will be revealed and many dirty secrets revealed.”

The lawyers said more than 3,000 people have contacted them about possible abuse, and they now represent 120 accusers. The alleged victims come from more than 25 states, with the majority living in California, New York, Georgia and Florida.

“They’re coming forward now because they finally feel a little safer that he’s behind bars,” Andrew Van Arsdale, managing partner of AVA Law Group, told HuffPost after the press conference. “Its influence and control over their livelihoods and perhaps their physical health is diminishing, and so they are coming forward in numbers.”

According to Buzbee, Combs’ alleged victims are evenly split between women and men, with about 62 percent identifying as African American, 30 percent identifying as white and the remainder being Asian or Hispanic, a he added.

While each case is different, a common theme involves the alleged victim being lured into a situation where she was given a drink at a party before being sexually assaulted by Combs or his associates in full view of others. .

One person who was 22 at the time told attorneys that if you refused a drink, you were kicked out of the party, according to Buzbee. He said much of the sexual abuse occurred at auditions or parties, including album releases and Combs’ “all-white parties,” some at well-known New York City venues. .

Those who contacted Combs or his associates following the abuse were sometimes threatened with physical violence or financial repercussions. Buzbee added that associates who witnessed or helped carry out the abuse include people whose names are known to the public.

“I imagine as we speak here, there are a myriad of people who are very nervous,” Buzbee said. “You can’t hide skeletons in a closet forever. I would expect that there are currently a lot of people desperately searching through their memories by deleting their texts and data.

Buzbee said at least 25 were minors at the time of the alleged abuse, with the youngest being 9 years old. The attorney said the child was brought to New York by Combs’ label, Bad Boy Records, for an audition, but was sexually abused by Combs and his associates at the studio. The boy was promised that he and his parents would get a recording contract, Buzbee said.

The victims’ cases will be filed individually against Combs and may also include companies such as banks, pharmaceutical companies and hotels that Buzbee says profited from the abuse.

Diddy’s attorney did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. He previously said Diddy was eager to tell his story and denied allegations of other sexual abuse lawsuits.

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Online Sexual Assault Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.