Sean Combs accused in lawsuits of sexually assaulting 10- and 17-year-old boys

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused in separate lawsuits of sexually assaulting two boys, one who was 10 at the time, and another who was 17. The plaintiffs allege the abuse occurred in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

The civil lawsuits, filed Monday in New York state’s Supreme Court, join more than two dozen others accusing the embattled music mogul of sexual misconduct. Supreme Court is a trial-level court in New York state.

Among the attorneys for the two plaintiffs, both of whom filed their claims anonymously, are Tony Buzbee and Andrew Van Arsdale, who have said they represent more than 100 people who have claims against Combs. Buzbee has filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Combs.

“We will continue to file cases weekly naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare the filings,” Buzbee said in a statement after filing the most recent suits.

Both plaintiffs in the two suits filed Monday live in California and are seeking a jury trial.

In response, Combs’ attorneys accused Buzbee, a personal injury lawyer in Texas who this month held a news conference where he solicited new clients, of seeking publicity. Buzbee’s news conference was held in front of a banner featuring a 1-800 number in large red print that he urged people to call if they wanted to file a claim.

Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee holds a press conference at his office announcing the over 100 individual cases he has against Sean Diddy Combs, in Houston, on Oct. 1.Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images file

“The lawyer behind this lawsuit is interested in media attention rather than the truth, as is obvious from his constant press appearances and 1-800 number,” they said in a statement. “As we’ve said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false. Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor.”

Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was denied bail and is detained at a New York City jail. His trial is scheduled to begin in May. Federal prosecutors allege he coerced men and women to engage in sex acts and that he would silence victims through blackmail and violence. They also allege that Combs enlisted the help of his staff to aid in his criminal behavior. The indictment mentions one victim but prosecutors have said there were multiple.

The man who alleges Combs abused him when he was 10 and an aspiring actor and rapper, traveled with his parents from California to New York City in 2005 and met with people in the music industry, according to the lawsuit. A consultant his parents had hired to help his “burgeoning career” arranged for him to audition for Combs, who had allegedly indicated he wanted to meet with the child alone before meeting his parents, the complaint says. He performed several rap songs for Combs and Combs told him that he could make him a star and asked him what he would do to be one, to which the child responded, he “would do anything,” the suit alleges. Afterward, a Combs associate gave the child a spiked soda and Combs forced him to perform oral sex on him, the lawsuit alleges.

The child lost consciousness and, when he awoke, his pants were undone and he felt sore, the complaint says. Combs threatened to badly hurt the child’s parents if he told anyone what happened, the lawsuit says. According to the complaint, he immediately told his parents, who, like the child, were “terrified of the potential consequences of reporting the abuse.”

The plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer from severe depression and anxiety and feelings of hopelessness and fatigue, according to the complaint, which says he had to be homeschooled because of behavioral issues that affected his relationships. The suit alleges he was “deprived of a normal childhood” and is unable to interact with others and live a normal life.

The other complaint alleges that in or around 2008, the plaintiff, who was 17 at the time, participated in a three-day audition for the MTV reality show “Making the Band,” which Combs produced and used to assemble groups. The teen advanced to a stage of the process where contestants met in private rooms with Combs and his bodyguard, the suit alleges. In a one-on-one meeting with Combs, the suit alleges, Combs instructed the 17-year-old to undress and groped and fondled his penis. The suit alleges Combs masturbated while he groped the contestant and told him that he had the ability to “make or break” his career.

In a subsequent meeting, the suit alleges Combs again instructed the contestant to undress to prove he could embody a “sex idol,” a purported requirement for the band’s image. During this alleged encounter, Combs forced the teen to perform oral sex on him and sodomized him, and allegedly reiterated that he could control the plaintiff’s future in the music industry, according to the suit.

On the third day, the suit alleges, the teen was forced to perform oral sex on Combs’ bodyguard, identified only as “T” in the suit, during which time Combs allegedly groped and fondled both the plaintiff and the bodyguard. Because the contestant expressed his discomfort and hesitation, Combs later eliminated him from the competition, claiming “he was untrustworthy,” the lawsuit says. He was unable to return to the music industry for seven years, according to the filing.

In a previous interview with NBC News, Van Arsdale said the majority of the people who allege they were abused as minors say they had met with Combs under the pretense of an audition or help advancing their careers.

Combs has settled only one of the many civil suits that have been filed against him in the last year. That suit, filed by his former longtime girlfriend Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura and who was signed to his label, was filed in November and alleged Combs had physically and sexually abused her for years. The two settled for what his lawyers have described as an eight-figure settlement, without Combs admitting any wrongdoing. His lawyers are challenging the other suits.