Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥� Combs has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit filed on Tuesday by Crystal McKinney, a former model and winner of MTV鈥檚 1998 Model Mission competition show.
According to the complaint, filed in New York and obtained by CNN, McKinney claims that she was 鈥渄rugged and sexually assaulted鈥� in 2003 by Combs following a Men鈥檚 Fashion Week event in New York City.
McKinney, who was 22 years old at the time, first met Combs at a dinner, where he came on to her 鈥渋n a sexually suggestive manner鈥� and told her to call him later, the complaint alleges. McKinney 鈥渇elt confused but hopeful that Combs would fulfill his promises to help her career,鈥� and Combs invited her to his recording studio later that night, the complaint continues.
At the studio, Combs offered McKinney marijuana, which she claims was 鈥渓aced鈥� with 鈥渁 narcotic or other intoxicating substance.鈥� The complaint alleges Combs saw McKinney was 鈥渧ery intoxicated鈥� and demanded her to follow him as he 鈥減hysically led鈥� her to the bathroom.
In the bathroom, Combs 鈥渂egan kissing her without her consent鈥� and later 鈥渇orced her to perform oral sex on him,鈥� according to the complaint.
After the assault, McKinney claims she felt 鈥渕ore and more woozy and then lost consciousness,鈥� later waking up in a taxicab heading back to the apartment belonging to the designer she was working with at the time. 鈥淎s her consciousness returned, Plaintiff realized that she had been sexually assaulted by Combs,鈥� the complaint reads.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Combs and McKinney for comment, as well as representatives for Bad Boy Records, Sean John Clothing LLC, and Universal Music Group Inc., the entities of which were also named as defendants.
McKinney is suing the defendants for violation of the New York Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law.
According to the , the law gives 鈥渟urvivors of gender-motivated acts of violence more time to pursue civil actions by extending the statute of limitations鈥� and also 鈥渁pplies to such acts committed by parties who direct, enable, participate in, or conspire in a gender-motivated act of violence.鈥�
McKinney was crowned the winner of MTV鈥檚 Model Mission in 1998 and was awarded a modeling contract with IMG. She became a familiar face on various MTV shows and modeled in a fashion campaign for designer Tommy Hilfiger.
As a result of the incident, McKinney became 鈥渟everely depressed,鈥� and 鈥渆xperienced alcohol and drug addiction鈥� as she tried to cope, the complaint claimed. To this day, the complaint states, McKinney still experiences mental health struggles stemming from the alleged assault and has since ceased pursuing a career in modeling.
She is seeking an unspecified amount in punitive and compensatory damages.
Latest suit in a series against Combs
This latest lawsuit comes days after CNN released exclusive surveillance footage that showed Combs physically attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016.
The attack was first referenced in a November 2023 lawsuit that Ventura brought against the rap mogul, whom she dated off and on from 2007 to 2018.
In her complaint that was settled a day after being filed, Ventura alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of repeated physical and other abuses over the course of their relationship.
Following the settlement, an attorney for Combs said the 鈥渄ecision to settle a lawsuit鈥s in no way an admission of wrongdoing.鈥�
Combs apologized on Sunday for his actions in the video.
Ventura鈥檚 attorney Meredith Firetog criticized his response saying, 鈥淲hen Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.鈥�
This is the seventh lawsuit in which Combs has been named in recent months. Six of those lawsuits, including the one filed Tuesday, contain allegations of sexual assault. One of the six suits names Combs as a defendant but was was brought against Combs鈥� son, Christian Combs. Only Ventura鈥檚 has been settled.
Authorities searched Diddy鈥檚 homes on March 25, 2024, because he is a target of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
The investigation stems from many of the same sexual assault allegations put forth in the civil lawsuits, according to a second law enforcement source familiar with the searches.
