A New York court has dismissed a civil case accusing Diddy of drugging and assaulting a man nearly a decade ago, ruling that the lawsuit was filed too late under state law.
The plaintiff, identified as John Doe, claimed the incident happened in 2015 when he was 23 and performing at a Los Angeles nightclub where Diddy was present. According to the complaint, he was handed a drink that caused him to black out and later woke up to what he described as “unwanted sexual contact.” The lawsuit, filed by attorney Tony Buzbee, also alleged that Diddy warned him his music career could suffer if he resisted.
The judge determined that the statute of limitations barred the claim. At the time of the alleged assault, New York law required such cases to be filed within five years of the incident. Although the state extended the window to twenty years in 2019, the court explained that the change cannot apply retroactively. As a result, the case was dismissed.
The filing also sought to hold Diddy’s companies, Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Enterprises, liable, but those claims were thrown out as well. The decision adds to a string of recent legal wins for Diddy, with several other cases against him also being dismissed. Still, he remains entangled in several lawsuits across the country.
Even with this outcome, his larger legal battle continues. On October 3, a judge will decide his sentence in the ongoing federal criminal case, a ruling expected to carry far greater impact than the dismissal of this civil action.