A former employee of Sean “Diddy” Combs has initiated legal action against the producer and entrepreneur, alleging sexual assault, sexual harassment, and “grooming.” Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a former producer and videographer for Combs, lodged a civil complaint in New York federal court on Monday. He asserts that during his tenure from 2022 to 2023, while collaborating with Combs on his recent album “Love,” he faced various mistreatments and exploitations.
Jones accuses Combs of failing to compensate him for his music production work, coercing him into procuring and interacting with sex workers, and serving alcoholic beverages laced with drugs to guests at parties hosted at his residences. Additionally, Combs’ chief of staff, Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; former Motown CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam; and Combs’ adult son, Justin, are also cited as defendants in the lawsuit.
Allegations against Justin Combs include soliciting prostitutes and underage girls to attend parties at his father’s homes. Khorram purportedly ordered illicit substances and prostitutes for Combs and his guests, with Jones asserting that Khorram facilitated Combs’ sexual misconduct. Grainge and Habtemariam are accused of sponsoring and attending listening parties for the “Love” album, allegedly knowing or should have known about Combs’ drugging of attendees through spiked alcohol.
Jones is seeking $30 million in damages. In response, Shawn Holley, Sean Combs’ attorney, vehemently refuted the accusations, labeling Jones a “liar” and denouncing the claims as fabrications. Justin Combs’ representative also dismissed the allegations as falsehoods, signaling intent to pursue legal consequences for defamatory statements.
The lawsuit details a disturbing pattern of alleged harassment and intimidation endured by Jones. He describes Combs as forceful and intimidating, often brandishing firearms and discussing violence, while asserting his dominance in the music industry. Jones claims to possess extensive audiovisual evidence of illegal activities involving Combs and his associates.
Furthermore, Jones accuses Combs of grooming him by encouraging him to witness sexual encounters, purportedly to assuage his anxieties about homosexuality. One instance cited involved Combs urging Jones to observe producer and reality TV personality Steven ‘Stevie J’ Jordan engaging in sexual activities with another man. Notably, Stevie J is not implicated in any wrongdoing and has refuted Jones’ allegations as false.
Jones also holds Combs liable for an alleged sexual assault perpetrated by Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr., during an incident on a yacht rented by Combs in the US Virgin Islands. Gooding, Jr. has yet to publicly comment on the complaint, and he is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
This legal action comes in the wake of Combs’ settlement in a lawsuit brought by his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, who accused him of rape and years of physical and other abuses. Combs has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to defend his reputation against what he perceives as baseless allegations seeking financial gain.