48°
Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1 that he is currently representing 120 people with various allegations against Combs occurring over two decades, NBC reported.
These accusations against Combs, a New York City native who grew up in Westchester County's Mount Vernon, include sexual assault or rape; facilitated sex with a controlled substance; dissemination of video recordings; and even the sexual abuse of minors, the outlet said.
NBC also added that Buzbee said more than 3,000 people have come forward to his office with allegations against Combs, and that he will begin filing lawsuits in various states in the next 30 days. The defendants will be named at a later date, according to the outlet.
"We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors. We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates,” NBC reported Buzbee as saying during a news conference on Tuesday.
More than half of the accusers identify as African American and they come from over 25 states. Additionally, 25 of the new accusers were minors at the time of the alleged incidents, including one who was 9 years old at the time, according to NBC.
The new accusations follow Combs' arrest on Tuesday morning, Sept. 17 on a three-count indictment accusing him of running a criminal enterprise that involved sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
He has been placed on suicide watch while jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to reports.
According to federal officials, as part of his criminal business, Combs would allegedly force women to engage in frequent days-long sexual activity with male commercial sex workers that he referred to as "Freak Offs." This activity would consist of elaborate sex performances arranged, directed, and often electronically recorded by Combs, officials said.
To make sure his victims participated in these "Freak Offs," Combs would use violence and intimidation to leverage his power over them. He would obtain this leverage by distributing narcotics to victims, exploiting his financial support to them, and threatening to cut off this support. He would also control their careers, according to federal officials.
In addition to being federally charged, Combs is still facing lawsuits from alleged victims, including one filed on Tuesday, Sept. 24 by a woman who accused him of raping her and filming the assault in 2001.
NBC reported a statement given by Combs' lawyer, Erica Wolff, in regards to the new wave of lawsuits:
"As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus. That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors," Wolff said, adding, "He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Click here to read the full report by NBC.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Lakewood and receive free news updates.
