A woman has filed a lawsuit against hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, alleging that he drugged and raped her at his Manhattan recording studio in 2001. The lawsuit, submitted on Tuesday, claims that the woman, Thalia Graves, discovered last year that the incident was recorded and shared with others.
This legal action comes just a week after the 54-year-old Combs was arrested on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, to which he has pleaded not guilty. In the past year, six other women have lodged accusations of sexual assault against Combs in separate lawsuits, alongside three additional lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct.
According to the complaint, Graves was 25 years old at the time of the alleged assault and was acquainted with Combs through her then-boyfriend, who worked for his record label, Bad Boy. The lawsuit details an incident during the summer of 2001 when Combs contacted her to meet in person. After picking her up in an SUV, he allegedly offered her a glass of wine that left her feeling “lightheaded, dizzy, and physically weak.”
Upon arriving at the recording studio, Graves claims she lost consciousness and later awoke to find herself naked with her hands tied behind her back using what felt like a plastic grocery bag. She further asserts that a bodyguard lifted her and slammed her onto a table, after which she alleges that Combs raped her.