Diddy Sued Again: Woman Alleges Rape and Filming in 2001 Assault at NY Studio

Another woman has come forward to sue Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging that the music mogul and his head of security raped her and recorded the assault on video at his New York recording studio in 2001.

Filed in federal court in New York, this lawsuit is the latest of several similar accusations against Combs. It follows just a week after his arrest and the unsealing of a federal sex trafficking indictment against him.

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Thalia Graves claims that in the summer of 2001, when she was 25 and dating an executive who worked for Combs, she was lured to a meeting at Bad Boy Recording Studios by Combs and Joseph Sherman. They allegedly transported her in an SUV, giving her a drink that she believes was laced with a drug.

Graves says she lost consciousness and later awoke to find herself bound inside Combs’ office and lounge at the studio. The lawsuit claims that the two men raped her, slapped her, slammed her head against a pool table, and ignored her desperate screams and cries for help.

At a news conference in Los Angeles with her attorney Gloria Allred, Graves spoke through tears, recounting the traumatic impact the assault has had on her life. She mentioned suffering from “flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts” and said it has been challenging for her to trust others, form healthy relationships, or even feel safe in her own skin.

“It has been hard for me to trust others to form healthy relationships or even feel safe in my own skin,” Graves said, crying as she read from a statement. “It is a pain that reaches into your very core of who you are and leaves emotional scars that may never fully heal.”

Combs remains imprisoned without bail in New York on federal charges, accused of running an extensive network that facilitated sexual crimes and committed acts of violence, safeguarded by blackmail and other means. He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. His attorney maintains his innocence and vows to clear Combs’ name. Combs’ representatives did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the latest lawsuit. There was also no indication from the lawsuit or from Combs’ representatives if Sherman had a separate attorney for comment.

The lawsuit was filed under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act during a two-year window that suspends legal deadlines, allowing sexual assault victims to sue over older abuse cases.

Allred declined to comment on whether her client had spoken to investigators in the criminal case against Combs. The indictment mentions allegations dating back only to 2008.

Graves’ lawsuit also claims that last year, after Combs’ former singing protege and girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit triggering the surge of allegations against him, Graves discovered from her former boyfriend that Combs had recorded her rape and sold it as pornography.

Graves’ lawsuit notes that both Combs and Sherman contacted her multiple times in the years following the assault, threatening repercussions if she disclosed what happened. At the time, she was involved in a divorce and custody battle and feared losing her young son if she spoke up.

Graves revealed that the shame and guilt often made her feel “worthless, isolated and sometimes responsible for what happened” at the news conference.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages to be determined at trial and demands that all copies of the video be located and destroyed. The suit also names several companies owned by Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and influential hip-hop producer and executive over the past three decades.