An ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs who claimed the mogul had been continually pushing her to have “freak-offs” before he allegedly drugged her at his Miami mansion in July — two months before he was arrested — has refiled her civil lawsuit under her real name.
The woman, Chelsea Lovelace, filed her lawsuit against Combs on Sept. 27, 2024, a little more than a week after the 55-year-old was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Lovelace, who met Combs in late 2020 and dated the mogul until last September, used a Jane Doe pseudonym when filing the lawsuit, citing the sensitive nature of the sexual abuse allegations and fear for her safety. But in a statement to Rolling Stone Thursday, Lovelace said she was coming forward with her real name because she wanted to choose “healing over hiding.”
“There was a time I truly believed we shared something real. In my heart, for a time I believed he genuinely cared about me,” Lovelace says. “That we both cared for one another in a way that meant something. But over time, that illusion shattered. And with it, so did parts of me. What I once thought was love and loyalty, quickly turned into manipulation, control and abuse. I was not seen as a person with a soul, but as a pawn in a much larger game.
“I didn’t want to believe it. I wrestled with God, with my heart, with my own silence. Filing this lawsuit — first as Jane Doe, and now as myself — is not an act of revenge. It is an act of release,” she continues. “Of standing in my truth. Of choosing healing over hiding. This is about dignity. This is about accountability. This is about the countless times I told myself to be quiet and stay loyal—until silence became too heavy to bear.”
In the 18-page complaint, Lovelace alleged she met Combs in fall 2020 and the two quickly began a relationship. The couple saw each other at least once a month, with Combs organizing Lovelace’s travel to join him in various cities, including Miami, Los Angeles, and New York.
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She alleged each time she visited Combs, he would make her “perform a show” for him.
(Speaking previously to Rolling Stone in January for an investigation into Combs under the pseudonym “Nicole,” Lovelace said these shows would include Lovelace slathering herself in warmed baby oil and engaging in sexual activity with Combs that stretched hours.)
Lovelace claimed Combs once sexually assaulted her at his Los Angeles home in April 2022, and throughout their four-year relationship, “would consistently pressure [her about] adding other men and women into the bedroom despite [Lovelace] being clear that she did not want others involved,” her lawsuit alleged.
In further unsettling allegations that mirror the testimony at Combs’ criminal sex trafficking trial from ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another ex-girlfriend using the pseudonym “Jane,” Lovelace claimed Combs routinely gave her alcohol and illicit drugs, including ecstasy, to “compel [her] into engaging in sex acts without her consent.”
Combs would allegedly “compel” Lovelace to take these illicit substances until she passed out, once forcing her to take ketamine and another time shoving two unknown pills into her mouth — both instances resulting in her blacking out. She said she’d often wake up covered in bruises, once with bite marks on her feet, with no recollection of how she sustained the injuries.
Lovelace alleged that Combs was controlling, discouraging her from working and having his staff incessantly attempt to contact her when he couldn’t reach her. Lovelace also alleged that she feared Combs could be monitoring her communications when she wasn’t with him.
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During her last in-person visit in July 2024, Lovelace previously told Rolling Stone, Combs allegedly asked her about inviting over a man. He was in a state of desperation, she claimed, both begging and insisting that the next time they were together, she would find a man to bring into the bedroom. “I was in and out [of consciousness] that night,” Lovelace said. “But I do remember I was just like, ‘I’m just gonna say yes so he leaves me alone, and I’m never coming back. I am never coming back after this.’”
When she awoke from a night of sexual activity, her lawsuit alleged, she felt “ill and confused and could not remember what happened the night before and the bedroom was in a disarray.”
In the days leading up to Combs’ arrest, Lovelace previously told Rolling Stone that Combs had been in contact, wanting to talk and attempting to have her visit him in New York. “I feel like he was trying to get me to facilitate it, because then, now I’m not a victim,” she explained. “I’m the doer.”
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Lovelace’s attorney, Joseph Ciaccio, said that his firm, Napoli Shkolnik, “stands by our client’s brave decision to publicly identify herself in the civil case against Sean Combs,” adding, “Her choice to step forward speaks volumes about her strength and resolve. From the outset, our firm has maintained that no one is above the law, especially those in positions of power, and that principle remains steadfast. We are committed to pursuing justice on her behalf.”
Lovelace is seeking compensatory damages alongside attorney’s fees and costs. “I believe in God’s timing,” Lovelace says. “I believe that light exposes what needs to be healed. And I believe that the truth, even when it hurts, is the beginning of freedom. To those who have stood by me, prayed for me, and held space for my healing — thank you. I’m still healing. Still finding my way. But today, I choose to walk forward with my head held high and my voice intact.”
