Sean “Diddy” Combs has secured another legal victory while behind bars, as a New York judge dismissed a sexual battery lawsuit filed by a man who claimed the music mogul drugged and assaulted him at a nightclub. The decision comes as Combs faces numerous civil lawsuits alongside his federal criminal charges.
The lawsuit was filed in February by a John Doe plaintiff represented by attorney Tony Buzbee. The accuser claimed he was a 23-year-old aspiring artist in 2015 when he scored a performance at a Los Angeles nightclub where Combs was present. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged he was given a drink that made him unconscious and later woke up to find Combs engaging in unwanted sexual contact with him.
The judge ruled that the plaintiff had waited too long to file the lawsuit in New York state. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, there was a 5-year statute of limitations when the alleged assault occurred. The judge noted that while a new law passed in 2019 extended the statute to 20 years, it is not retroactive and therefore does not apply to this case.
Multiple dismissals show pattern in Diddy cases
This dismissal follows a pattern of similar rulings in other cases against Combs based on statute of limitations issues. In July, a judge dismissed rape claims from April Lampros, ruling that allegations from the 1990s were too old to pursue under New York law. Another case filed by Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, a Michigan inmate who accused Combs of assault in 1997, was also dismissed due to timing issues.
Holy shlit. Diddy was found not guilty on all the serious charges. He may walk. pic.twitter.com/3OMI6EuF03
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 2, 2025
The plaintiff in the dismissed case had also named Combs’ business entities, including Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Enterprises, as defendants. However, those claims were also thrown out along with the main lawsuit. This represents another victory for Combs’ legal team, which has been fighting dozens of civil cases while he awaits his federal criminal trial.
Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being denied bail multiple times. He faces federal charges including racketeering and sex trafficking, with his trial scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025. His legal team has called the growing number of lawsuits against him a “money grab” and maintained that he will fight all false accusations.
