California woman accuses Sean 'Diddy' Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her when she was in college after dinner date
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
- Joi Dickerson-Neal filed a complaint alleging rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs drugged and assaulted her in 1991.
- Combs has also been accused of sexual abuse by the singer Cassie.
- In her lawsuit, Dickerson-Neal says Combs recorded the sexual assault and showed it to "everyone."
A California woman alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday that music magnate Sean "Diddy" Combs drugged and assaulted her when she was a college student in 1991.
The woman, Joi Dickerson-Neal, also alleged that Combs recorded the assault and showed it to his friends.
The complaint comes on the heels of another lawsuit filed by a former artist on his record label accusing Combs of sexual abuse. The R&B singer Cassandra Ventura, who performs under the name Cassie, said Combs kept her trapped in a "cycle of abuse" during their romantic and business relationship.
Both lawsuits were brought under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that provides victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file a civil lawsuit, even if the statute of limitations had expired. Thursday is the deadline to file cases under the statute.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Combs said Dickerson-Neal "made up" the story, calling it "not credible." "Mr. Combs never assaulted her," the spokesperson said.
"This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head."
"This is purely a money grab and nothing more," the spokesperson added.
Dickerson-Neal's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the complaint, Combs asked Dickerson-Neal out on a date in 1991, when she was studying psychology at Syracuse University. He took her out for chicken and waffles at a Harlem restaurant where Dickerson-Neal worked as a server, then drove her to a music studio.
Dickerson-Neal said in the lawsuit that she believes Combs drugged her during the meal because "when she attempted to exit the car, her legs felt rubbery and she was unable to stand."
Combs then drove her to a house where he sexually assaulted her, she alleges, filming the assault and showing it to others. Another musician told Dickerson-Neal that "everyone" had seen the tape.
The alleged assault sent Dickerson-Neal into a "tailspin," she says in the lawsuit, causing her to become withdrawn and isolated. She was diagnosed with clinical depression and dropped out of college.
Dickerson-Neal is seeking unspecified damages.
Update November 23, 2023: The story has been updated to include comment from Combs' spokesperson.