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A Los Angeles celebrity whose identity is kept secret has filed a lawsuit against attorneys representing 120 alleged victims of Sean “Diddy” Combs. The man claims his lawyer tried to extort money from him in exchange for not identifying him as a sexual abuser with ties to the hip-hop mogul.
The celebrity, described in the lawsuit as a “high-profile individual” and identified only through his attorney as John Doe, said Houston attorney Tony Buzbee wrote a demand letter that made “grossly false and horrific allegations.” According to the complaint, Buzbee said the individual raped a minor at Combs’ party and there would be consequences unless he agreed to a mediated settlement.
Combs, 54, remains in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center and has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, extortion and transportation of prostitutes. He denies multiple abuse claims. Buzbee’s law firm has filed numerous civil lawsuits against Combs since his arrest in September. Lawyers for the accusers said other celebrities also participated in rapes and sexual assaults at “freak-offs” hosted by Combs, and that some of the victims were minors.
Lawyers for the celebrity said Buzbee threatened in the correspondence to “expose completely fabricated and malicious sexual assault allegations.”
“This is textbook blackmail,” the lawyers added.
Ms Buzbee said she brought the “despicable” charges against the man earlier this month. The complaint accuses Buzbee of raping “multiple minors, both male and female, who were drugged at a party sponsored by Combs.” The lawyer said he would “take a different course” if the celebrities did not agree to “confidential mediation,” the complaint alleges. According to the complaint, Buzbee attached an image of a ticking clock to the message.
Mr. Buzbee said he and his firm “will not tolerate powerful people and highly paid lawyers.” [to] “Intimidate and silence sexual victims,” he said, warning of impending lawsuits against anonymous plaintiffs.
“It is clear that the frivolous lawsuit filed against my company is an aggressive attempt to intimidate and silence me, and ultimately my clients,” Buzbee said. said in a statement. “That effort is a gross miscalculation. I am a United States Marine. I will not be silent or threatened. Neither will my clients. Our professional efforts at a resolution have clearly failed. Therefore, I will instead disclose the demand letter I sent when I filed the lawsuit.”
Buzbee’s more than 20 civil lawsuits are the first to accuse a public figure other than Combs of taking part in the assault during a party hosted by the Bad Boy Records founder. However, the names of the stars have not been identified.
Buzbee has previously vowed to name celebrities who he says have been involved in sexual abuse allegations. He said at a September press conference that the names included in the suit would be “shocking.”
A federal lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York alleges that a woman identified as Jane Doe was raped by Combs, a male celebrity (only identified as Celebrity A) and a female celebrity (only identified as Celebrity B) when she was 13 years old. claims that it was. In court documents, it was monitored.
The women allege in legal filings that the incident began on the night of September 7, 2000, when they tried to persuade her to participate in the Video Music Awards outside Radio City Music Hall in New York City. There is. Later, during a “freak-off” hosted by Combs, an anonymous male celebrity allegedly raped the girl while Combs and an unidentified female celebrity looked on. Combs then raped the girl while two other celebrities watched, according to the complaint.
Combs’ attorney denied Buzbee’s claims. “Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, male or female.”
Lawyers with the L.A. law firm Quinn Emanuel, who filed the lawsuit Monday on behalf of the anonymous celebrities, said Buzbee “exploited the courage of the victims who came forward” against Combs and “innocent celebrities, politicians, He said that he had obtained unfair settlements from “businessmen.”
“Defendants devised a scheme to use coercive threats to obtain payments from anyone associated with Combs, no matter how remote,” the anonymous plaintiff’s attorney wrote. “Defendants claim to be investigating the facts, but in reality they are finding deep darkness and attempting to smear them all with the same brush.”
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