The co-founder of Bad Boy Records has sued Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for alleged sexual harassment and “forced compliance with degrading sexual acts”.
Kirk Burrowes, who established the powerful label that was home to The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans and Lil Kim alongside Combs in 1993, filed the lawsuit on Friday (February 28), outlining what he describes as a workplace filled with sexual and physical abuse.
As reported by Rolling Stone, Burrowes claims that Combs’ abusive behaviour went on to morph into physical violence, blackmail, blacklisting and financial extortion.
Diddy’s representatives have not responded to the suit, but his team have spoken out several times this week in response to other lawsuits, asserting: “No matter how many lawsuits are filed…it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone”.
Burrowes alleges that Combs groped his crotch and buttocks and forced him to watch Combs engage in sex acts with co-workers at their Manhattan offices. He outlines an alleged incident in 1995 when Combs greeted him in the nude and “demanded that he watch as [Combs] masturbated”, and another where he allegedly “prevented him from leaving by removing his keys, pinning him down onto a bed and simulating intercourse until he ejaculated”.
Burrowes was fired from Bad Boy in 1997, and he claims that a year prior, Combs burst into his office wielding a baseball bat in an attempt to force him to sign over his 25 percent stake in the company “or face violent repercussions”.
Last September, Diddy was arrested and charged with crimes including sexual trafficking and racketeering. He has since been held in a federal jail in his hometown awaiting trial, which is set to begin on May 5.
Diddy has been denied bail on multiple occasions while awaiting trial, with the first denial coming after he offered a $50million (£38.4million) bond. He was subsequently reportedly placed on suicide watch.
Last month, lawyer Tony Buzbee said he expected over 10 new civil lawsuits to be filed against Combs by the end of February. Combs’ legal team have continued to deny all allegations levelled against him.
Earlier today (March 1), a Making The Band contestant named Sara Rivers filed a $60million suit against him, alleging he sexually harassed her and stroked her breasts during the filming of the show.
Another suit has come from a former contestant on a different reality show, I Want To Work For Diddy, with Kendra Haffoney alleging repeated sexual assault.
On Wednesday (February 26), a male escort from Florida filed yet another lawsuit against Combs claiming the rapper sexually assaulted him in 2012.
Elsewhere, one of Combs’ lawyers recently quit the rapper’s forthcoming criminal sex trafficking case, writing: “Under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs, consistent with the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice.”
A woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Combs and Jay-Z in 2000 when she was 13 also recently voluntarily withdrew her lawsuit. Attorneys for Combs say no settlement was reached between the parties.
