A New York judge has thrown out a civil lawsuit filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs that accused the music mogul of drugging and sexually assaulting a then 23-year-old artist at a Los Angeles nightclub.
The ruling is the latest legal victory for Diddy as he continues to face separate criminal proceedings.
The plaintiff filed the complaint in February, alleging that an encounter in 2015 ended with him passed out after drinking a beverage and waking to unwanted sexual contact with Combs.
The suit, brought by attorney Tony Buzbee, also claimed that Combs threatened the young artist’s career if he resisted.
The complaint named Diddy as well as his companies, Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Enterprises.
In her decision, the judge said the claims were time barred under New York law.
The court noted that the statute of limitations in effect when the alleged incident occurred allowed five years to bring such claims.
A 2019 change in state law that extended the window for certain sex abuse claims to 20 years does not apply retroactively, the judge wrote, and therefore could not revive the plaintiff’s case.
The order dismissed the lawsuit in full. The decision follows a string of recent civil rulings in Combs’s favour.
Several other lawsuits alleging similar misconduct have been dismissed or otherwise stalled on procedural grounds, even as a number of matters remain active in various jurisdictions.
Combs is currently in custody and awaiting sentencing in a separate federal criminal case. Court filings show his sentencing is scheduled for October 3.
His legal team has vigorously denied wrongdoing in the civil matter and in other complaints.
The dismissed suit carried serious allegations that mirrored other claims the entertainer has faced in recent years.
Still, by focusing the ruling on the statute of limitations the judge avoided reaching the factual merits of the allegations.
That procedural outcome leaves open the broader public debate on accountability and the challenges of pursuing historic claims many years after they allegedly occurred.
As the calendar advances toward October and other civil suits proceed, the legal and reputational stakes for Combs remain high.
For now, the New York court’s ruling removes one potential civil liability from his immediate docket, but it does not end the series of legal battles that continue to shape the public record around one of the music industry’s most prominent figures.