Sean Combs, also known as P Diddy, has been named in a lawsuit that alleges his son sexually assaulted a woman working on a yacht chartered by his father.
The suit alleges Combs created the circumstances that led to the assault and paid to cover it up afterwards.
It is the latest in a string of serious allegations against the rapper in recent months, all of which he denies.
Grace O’Marcaigh, who worked as a crew member and a bartender on the boat, alleged Combs’ son Christian “King” Combs pressured her to drink tequila she believed was spiked with other drugs.
He groped her breasts and genitals and attempted to force her to perform oral sex, according to the lawsuit.
People who allege sexual abuse are not normally named, however, Ms O’Marcaigh came forward publicly and consented to being named through her lawyers.
Aaron Dyer, a lawyer for Sean and Christian Combs, called the lawsuit “lewd and meritless.”
“We will be filing a motion to dismiss this outrageous claim,” he said in a statement.
The alleged incident started in the ship’s music studio, which had microphones running that captured an exchange between the two.
Ms O’Marcaigh, who was 25 at the time, said Christian Combs, then 24, had come back drunk and was insistent she took shots of tequila, which she drank out of obligation.
The suit alleged he became increasingly aggressive, violently grabbing her arm as she tried to get out of the situation then groping her. The lawsuit includes a transcript where she demands he stops touching her.
The lawsuit said Ms O’Marcaigh suspected the alcohol was spiked as everything quickly became blurry.
It alleged the assault continued in the yacht’s cinema, which was being used as a spare sleeping space and where Ms O’Marcaigh was trying to find somewhere to sleep, before another crew member appeared and he stopped.
Read more from Sky News:
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher divorce after 20 years together
Inside the city where monkeys look like they’re running the show
Sean Combs, who chartered the yacht during the Christmas period in 2022, “had full control of the staff and premises” and created circumstances where Ms O’Marcaigh’s assault was not only tolerated but encouraged, the lawsuit said.
Ms O’Marcaigh said she told the yacht’s captain about the assault in the morning, but she alleged after Sean Combs gave him a large amount of cash, the captain failed to meaningfully investigate or take any action.
The suit said she was eventually fired in retaliation and has since been unable to find work in the music industry where she had planned to build a career, and has suffered severe emotional trauma.
Source : Sky News