A Californian lady has filed a lawsuit accusing Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her 30 years in the past when she was a pupil.
Joi Dickerson-Neal mentioned she was a psychology pupil at Syracuse University in 1991 when she met Combs.
She was working as a waitress at Wells’ Restaurant in Harlem – a now-shuttered rooster and waffles spot – and hoping to work within the music business.
She claims Diddy pressured her for a date, after which slipped one thing into her drink earlier than taking her to an condo, sexually assaulting her and filming it.
She alleges he shared the video extensively, and says she was advised by DeVante Swing, a member of R&B group Jodeci, that ‘everybody’ had seen the footage.
Dickerson-Neal claims she was traumatized by the encounter and dropped out of school, failing to finish her diploma and abandoning her music profession goals.
She is looking for unspecified damages.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, pictured in September 2022, is accused in a brand new lawsuit of drugging and assaulting a girl in 1991
Cassie mentioned the music govt allegedly managed and abused her for over a decade – in addition to plying her with medication, beating her, and forcing her to have intercourse with a number of male prostitutes whereas he watched and recorded
Cassie, seen in December 2018 on the GQ Men of the Year social gathering in LA, settled with Diddy the day after she filed her case
Dickerson-Neal’s case was filed beneath the Adult Survivors Act, a New York legislation that gives victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file a civil lawsuit, even when the statute of limitations had expired.
Thursday is the deadline to file circumstances beneath the statute.
She mentioned in her court docket paperwork that she was impressed to come back ahead by Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie, who sued him in federal court docket on November 16, accusing him of rape and a decade-long sample of abuse that started when she was 19 years previous.
One day after Cassie filed the lawsuit – which was additionally beneath the Adult Survivors Act – she settled with Diddy out of court docket.
Dickerson-Neal, in her go well with, says that when she met Diddy she was ‘whip-smart, lovely, and conscious that her good repute was an vital asset to be safeguarded.’
The Harlem-born rapper, now 54, was a expertise director at Uptown Records on the time, working with musicians similar to Mary J. Blige and Jodeci. In 1993 he would discovered Bad Boy Records, which might make his billion-dollar fortune.
She says that she had pals and acquaintances in frequent with Combs, and had appeared briefly in one among his music movies.
She claims that he pressured her to a date, so on January 3, 1991 she agreed to satisfy him on the restaurant the place she labored, Wells’. She mentioned that Combs already had a repute for womanizing, and Sister Soulja, a rapper from the Bronx, warned her to be cautious.
Combs is seen in 2018 arriving on the Met Gala in New York City
Dickerson-Neal labored at Wells, a restaurant in Harlem working for the reason that Nineteen Thirties, which has now closed
Dickerson-Neal mentioned that she selected the restaurant as she knew the workers and felt secure, however alleges that Combs slipped one thing into her drink, leaving her woozy as they left.
She bought into his automobile, and so they went to a report studio and an condo. While within the automobile, he pressured her to smoking marijuana with him, she claims.
She alleges that he took her to an condo, and she or he handed out: waking the subsequent morning unaware of precisely what had occurred however with ache and a way of disgrace.
Dickerson-Neal mentioned she didn’t go to the police, however advised her greatest buddy.
‘Shortly thereafter, Davante Swing, a member of R&B group Jodeci, advised Plaintiff that Combs had filmed himself sexually assaulting Plaintiff and had proven the video to Swing and others whereas working on the studio,’ the court docket paperwork allege.
‘Plaintiff requested Swing who had seen the video, and he replied: ‘Everyone.’
‘Plaintiff was mortified as she discovered that Combs had filmed the assault and knew it could hang-out her for the remainder of her life and profession.
‘Swing advised Plaintiff that he needed to talk up towards Combs, however he was fearful that the band would lose their report deal. Jodeci was within the midst of recording their studio album Forever Lady, for which Combs was doing A&R.’
She says that she ‘skilled traumatic flashbacks to the assault, excessive sleeplessness for days on finish, social withdrawal, and would recoil at even essentially the most primary bodily contact.’
Dickerson-Neal mentioned DeVante Swing of the the group Jodeci – managed by Combs – advised her he had seen the video of the alleged assault
Combs is seen in 1990, on the time of the alleged assault
Dickerson-Neal mentioned she grew to become reclusive, and had ‘an incapability to focus and focus, as her thoughts continually replayed Combs’ assault, main her grades to plummet.’
The paperwork state: ‘Plaintiff’s mom grew so involved with Plaintiff’s sudden downturn in her emotional state and her repeated assertions that she not needed to stay, thus, Plaintiff’s mom instructed her to go to the Emergency Room.
‘Plaintiff was admitted right into a psychiatric unit to deal with her emotional trauma and her physicians recognized her as experiencing scientific despair.
‘After Plaintiff was discharged, she continued to expertise emotional turmoil, as on a regular basis interactions triggered recollections of the assault. Plaintiff additionally grew to become socially remoted as her classmates labeled her ‘loopy’ as they discovered of her admission within the psychiatric unit.’
She mentioned she filed police stories in New York and New Jersey, however investigators advised her they may not proceed with out witnesses or corroboration – and people within the music business didn’t wish to converse out towards him.
Prosecutors declined to press prices.
Combs is seen throughout the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles
Dickerson-Neal continued attempting to work within the music business, and located a job with Stress Management, a DJ Management firm that represented DJ Funkmaster Flex and others.
She mentioned that at one occasion Combs confronted her, getting down on his knees and denying assaulting her – ‘insisting that he needed her to consider him when he mentioned he didn’t do what she was saying,’ based on the grievance.
She mentioned her supervisor Jessica Rosenblum requested her what was occurring, and she or he merely replied that Combs ‘had wronged her’.
Dickerson-Neal deserted her work within the music business, and moved to California.
She mentioned the pandemic gave her time to course of what had occurred, and re-reading her journals inspired her to come back ahead.
‘Combs’ conduct eternally modified the trajectory of her profession, denying her what may need been a profitable and profitable profession within the music business,’ she claims.
‘Plaintiff is assured she will be able to show her case by way of at the least a dozen witnesses to testify to her extreme emotional misery and hurt that she skilled after the assault.’ Combs’ lawyer, Ben Brafman, has not commented on the case.