Sean "Diddy" Combs and Bodyguard Accused of Rape in New Civil Court Filing

Content warning: This story discusses rape and sexual assault.

Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing a new lawsuit amid his arrest.

In a complaint filed on Sept. 24, Texas resident Thalia Graves accused the rapper and a bodyguard she alleged was under Combs' employment of "violently" raping her in 2001 at a New York City recording studio.

The lawsuit, obtained by E! News, claimed "trauma of the rape came flooding back" to Graves—who is being represented by a team of attorneys, including women's right lawyer Gloria Allred—last November, when a former boyfriend informed her that Combs and the bodyguard (identified in suit as Joseph "Big Joe" Sherman) had shown him a video of her alleged rape years earlier.

"She felt as if her life had been turned upside down, again, and like the rape had been happening again and again even as she was trying to forget it," the filing read. "She felt intense fear, anger, and anxiety."

Graves said she was dating an unnamed executive at Combs' Bad Boy Records at the time of her alleged rape. According to the lawsuit, Combs arranged for himself and Sherman to pick her up for a meeting about her then-boyfriend's work performance.

On her way to the Bad Boy studio, Graves accepted a drink from the music mogul that caused her "to feel lightheaded, dizzy, and physically weak," per the suit. Upon her arrival, the complaint alleged Combs led Graves to a private room, where she "began feeling even more woozy and sedated" before losing consciousness.

Graves woke up naked with her hands "tied behind her back with what felt like a plastic grocery bag," according to the lawsuit. The filing alleged Graves was then "brutally" sexually abused by Combs and Sherman, leading her to lose consciousness again.

E! News has reached out to attorneys for Combs and Sherman but has not heard back. However, Sherman has denied Graves' allegations to NBC News, telling the outlet that he did not know or rape Graves.

Sherman also said he was only employed by Combs from 1998 to 1999, two years before the alleged assault would have taken place.

Graves' lawsuit said she left the studio after regaining consciousness and calling a driver her family knew to pick her up. When the driver drove her to a hospital and urged her to get a rape kit, Graves said she was unable to leave the car because she was "shaking and crying hysterically" and "terrified of what Combs would do to her and her family if she reported him," according to the suit.

Graves said she sustained multiple injuries, including bruising, prolonged bleeding and hemorrhoids. She also suffers from severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the alleged attack, per her lawsuit.

Graves is seeking a jury trial and damages for "all physical injuries, emotional distress, psychological harm, anxiety, humiliation, physical and emotional pain and suffering, family and social disruption, and other harm" she endured in connection to the alleged incident.

Her lawsuit comes a week after Combs was arrested on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. In an unsealed indictment, prosecutors accused Combs of arranging, directing and filming women participating in sexual performances with male commercial sex workers—which he allegedly dubbed "Freak Offs."

Combs has pleaded not guilty to his federal charges.

For a closer look at his recent legal troubles, keep reading.

Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami properties on March 25, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.  

The sources told the outlet the warrant was out of the Southern District of New York, and a spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed to E! News it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.” 

Law enforcement sources told NBC News the music mogul was in the Miami area when the search warrants were executed. 

News about the investigation broke after Combs faced allegations of sexual misconduct in lawsuits filed by multiple accusers starting in November, with the musician denying the allegations. 

“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote in a December statement posted on Instagram. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.” 

The day after HSI executed the search warrants at Combs' L.A. and Miami properties, his lawyer spoke out. 

"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences," attorney Aaron Dyer said in a March 26 statement to E! News. "There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated." 

Dyer noted Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”  

“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way,” his lawyer's statement continued. “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads  to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.” 

And Dyer expressed Combs' intent to defend himself.

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” he added. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

As for what actually went down during the searches, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the warrant told NBC News authorities with the Department of Homeland Security seized phones from Combs’ home in Miami before he was scheduled to travel to the Bahamas, and several sources familiar with the matter added that guns were discovered during the search.

One source familiar with the matter also told NBC News three women and one man were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators from the Southern District of New York about allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms purportedly tied to Combs.

On the same day the search warrants were executed at Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles properties, one of his associates, Brendan Paul, was arrested by the Miami-Dade police on suspicion of drug possession, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter told NBC News. 

According to the Miami-Dade arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet, Paul was taken into custody for allegedly possessing suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy. 

Prison records obtained by NBC News show Paul was released on March 26 after posting bond.

“We do not plan on trying this case in the media,” Paul’s attorney Brian Bieber said in a statement obtained by the outlet, “all issues will be dealt with in court.” 

In May, Paul accepted a plea deal, with his lawyer Bieber telling People, "Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety."

He was arrested in the lobby of a New York hotel on Sept. 16, 2024, according to NBC News. It's unclear what Combs has been charged with and if the arrest has any potential connection to the raids.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office," his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to E! News. "He is an imperfect person but Is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges."

After Combs was arrested based on the sealed indictment, the indictment was unsealed on Sept. 17.

The 54-year-old was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; as well as transportation to engage in prostitution, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

The indictment alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for more than a decade, with prosecutors saying the purported behavior started around 2008.

"To do so," the documents stated, "Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."

According to NBC News, Combs pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.

“He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse prior to the arraignment, “and the full confidence of his lawyers."

Following his arrest, Combs was held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center where he was denied a $50 million bond. The music mogul was also placed on suicide watch, which a source told E! News is a customary procedure for high-profile inmates. 

He was assigned the same area of the jail as cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, a source told NBC News. 

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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