Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing new allegations of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by Crystal McKinney, a former model and winner of MTV’s 1998 Model Mission competition show. The complaint, filed in New York, claims that McKinney was drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs in 2003 after a Men’s Fashion Week event in New York City.
According to the complaint, McKinney, who was 22 at the time, met Combs at a dinner where he made sexual advances towards her. Combs later invited her to his recording studio, where he allegedly offered her marijuana laced with a narcotic or intoxicating substance. The complaint states that Combs then forced McKinney to perform oral sex on him without her consent.
After the assault, McKinney claims she lost consciousness and later woke up in a taxi heading back to her apartment. The lawsuit names Combs, as well as Bad Boy Records, Sean John Clothing LLC, and Universal Music Group Inc., as defendants for violation of the New York Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law.
McKinney, who won MTV’s Model Mission in 1998, has since experienced mental health struggles and addiction issues as a result of the alleged assault, leading her to abandon her modeling career. She is seeking punitive and compensatory damages in the lawsuit.
This lawsuit comes in the wake of exclusive surveillance footage released by CNN showing Combs physically attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Ventura had previously filed a lawsuit against Combs in 2023, alleging rape and repeated physical abuse, which was settled soon after being filed. Combs has apologized for his actions in the video, but Ventura’s attorney criticized his response.
Combs has faced a series of lawsuits in recent months, with six of them alleging sexual assault. The investigation into Combs stems from these allegations, with authorities searching his homes on March 25, 2024, as part of a federal investigation into human trafficking crimes. Combs has denied any wrongdoing in response to these allegations.
