Trigger Warning: The following article contains information of a sensitive nature. Details include the alleged sexual assault of a woman. The content of this article may be upsetting or trigger negative memories.
A former model accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her at his New York recording studio in 2003 in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the latest in a series of allegations against the music mogul struggling hip-hop.
Crystal McKinney said she was a 22-year-old successful model when she met Combs at a restaurant during Manhattan Men’s Fashion Week. Combs invited her to his recording studio later that night, according to the federal complaint filed in New York.
The lawsuit alleges that McKinney arrived and found Combs drinking and smoking joints with several other men. She smoked marijuana, which she “later realized” was laced with a narcotic or intoxicating substance, according to the lawsuit. She felt like she was floating. Combs led her to the bathroom, where the sexual assault took place, according to the lawsuit.
Combs took her back to the studio and she lost consciousness, according to the lawsuit. She then woke up in a taxi and realized she had been sexually assaulted, according to the lawsuit.
Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they were sexually abused unless they publicly denounce it, as McKinney did.
The suit was filed days after CNN aired security video showing Combs attacking singer Cassie in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Combs released a video on Sunday admitting he attacked Cassie in the hotel hallway, saying he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”
Combs is not at risk of criminal prosecution for beating the singer due to the statute of limitations.
A complaint Cassie filed in November, alleging battery and abuse, was settled a day after it was filed. But it sparked increased scrutiny of Combs, with several other lawsuits filed in the following months, as well as a federal criminal sex trafficking investigation that led authorities to search Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
The suit was filed Tuesday under a New York City law that allows accusers to file a civil suit for a limited period of time, even if the events allegedly occurred a long time ago.
