LOS ANGELES — Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is a subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation, has been named as a defendant in a new lawsuit that alleges his son sexually assaulted a woman while she was working on a yacht the music mogul had chartered for a trip at the end of 2022.
The allegation is the latest in a wave of lawsuits accusing Combs, 54, of sexual assault, sexual trafficking and engaging in other criminal activity. He has denied all the allegations, calling them sickening.
In the suit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Grace O’Marcaigh alleges that Christian Combs, 26, sexually assaulted her in late December 2022 while she was working on a boat charter that had been “sold as a wholesome family excursion” but turned into a “hedonistic environment.”
The alleged assault happened just days before Sean Combs hosted a New Year’s Eve yacht party with a long list of celebrity guests.
Christian Combs is accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit. Sean Combs is being sued for premises liability as the person who chartered the yacht and for aiding and abetting his son in the alleged assault.
A lawyer for the father and son called Thursday's suit "lewd and meritless" and said it was "filled with the same kind of manufactured lies and irrelevant facts we’ve come to expect" from O’Marcaigh's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn.
The lawyer, Aaron Dyer, said his legal team plans on filing a motion to dismiss the suit.
“Like father, like son," Blackburn said Thursday night after the suit was filed. "It gives us no joy or pleasure in filing this suit against Christian Combs who has clearly adopted his father’s pattern and practice of depravity."
In the yacht studio
In her suit, O’Marcaigh alleges that Christian Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her. She included transcriptions of audio clips that she states are evidence of her denying his advances as he gropes her. The suit states that the clips were recorded by a producer in the studio.
O’Marcaigh, who was 25 at the time of the alleged assault, worked as a steward providing dinner and drink service on the yacht from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and witnessed partying and drug use between a “constant rotation of suspected sex workers” and celebrities, the suit states. She also alleges in the complaint that she suspected bottles of alcohol were laced with drugs because women began to fall over themselves, panic or pass out after just one drink.
Around Dec. 28, 2022, O’Marcaigh was informed that Christian Combs would be joining the party to record with music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones in the yacht’s makeshift studio, the suit states.
Christian Combs had been staying on shore at a villa, but often joined his father in the evenings, according to the suit. The woman’s suit alleges that he arrived “heavily intoxicated” and that he paid an inappropriate amount of attention to her.
Christian then pressured O’Marcaigh to take shots of tequila that she believes he brought onboard, according to the suit.
After she took the shot, O’Marcaigh states in the lawsuit, Christian Combs became aggressive and insisted she drink more.
O’Marcaigh became fearful and began to feel the effect of the tequila, which she “quickly suspected” had been spiked, the suit states.
The situation “escalated” as Christian Combs groped O’Marcaigh’s legs, breast, anus and vagina, the suit states. The suit details audio recordings in which it states O’Marcaigh can be heard declining alcohol, saying she had to leave, and telling Christian Combs to stop touching her with what sounds like kissing noises in the background.
The audio was recorded by Jones, the producer who was in the studio during the alleged assault and who has alleged in his own lawsuit that he was required to record Sean Combs “constantly” and had hours of footage in which the music mogul and his staff allegedly engaged in criminal conduct.
NBC News has heard two clips of audio transcribed in the suit purportedly from the night of Dec. 28, 2022, but has not verified who was recorded.
“Excuse me, you don’t touch my legs like that. I’ll move my legs where I want to,” O’Marcaigh is heard saying in the recording detailed in the suit. “If I want to do this, then I will. You don’t touch my legs like that.”
“Listen, you and everybody in the crew,” Christian Combs allegedly replies.
“I can’t, I have to go down,” O’Marcaigh says. “I have to go down.”
Christian Combs then insists that O’Marcaigh stay with him, but she responds that she cannot unless he makes that request to a crew leader, the suit states, citing the audio recording.
O’Marcaigh answered this way because she knew “anyone of authority” who could approve the request would be asleep and Christian Combs would not be able to contact them, the suit states.
“Who can I talk to? I’m going to say I requested you right now,” Christian Combs said, according to the suit.
“Well, you can take your hand off my ass for the first thing,” O’Marcaigh responded.
O’Marcaigh then attempted to resume her duties and finish her shift once she was able to leave the studio, the suit states. Christian Combs allegedly found her a short time later and insisted she find him a place to sleep.
She directed him to the yacht cinema, which was used as an extra sleeping area, where he blocked her in, the suit states.
Christian Combs allegedly began to grope her and took off his clothes.
“His penis was erect, and he grabbed her arms and was trying to force PLAINTIFF to perform oral sex on him,” the suit states.
The suit includes photos of bruising on O’Marcaigh’s forearm and alleges it was caused when Christian Combs grabbed her.
O’Marcaigh fought him off until someone else walked in, according to the suit.
Since the alleged attack
The alleged assault had a deep impact on O’Marcaigh’s mental health as well as her professional and personal lives, the suit said. When O’Marcaigh complained to the yacht captain the next day, the suit alleges, the captain did not believe her and failed to investigate.
She alleges that the captain retaliated against her until she was terminated in May 2023.
Her mental health deteriorated, and the woman had anxiety and panic attacks as well as severe suicidal ideations, the suit said. O’Marcaigh alleges that the emotional strain affected her physical health and that she developed an eating disorder and seizures following the assault.
She is seeking unspecified damages.
"I am here to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves and I applaud Grace for being so brave to come forward with her truth," attorney Rodney S. Diggs said of his client. "Hopefully her story will inspire others to come forward."
Allegations and investigation
O’Marcaigh’s suit is the first to accuse Christian Combs of sexual assault. Since November, his father, Sean Combs, has been accused in lawsuits of sexual assault by four women, which he has repeatedly denied.
One of those suits has been settled, and the others have not been resolved.
Jones, a producer who worked for Sean Combs from September 2022 to November 2023, alleged the rapper sexually harassed him, pressured him to engage in sexual acts and forced him to procure sex workers. He said he witnessed Sean Combs giving drinks laced with drugs to people at parties.
An attorney for Combs said Jones’ “reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.”
On March 25, agents with Homeland Security Investigations searched Sean Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami. A source familiar with the investigation told NBC News that a federal investigation began before this year and that authorities were aware of the layout of Combs’ properties before the raids.
During the searches last month, federal agents discovered guns and seized his phones as part of a warrant issued from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, law enforcement sources have said. Christian Combs was detained at his father’s Los Angeles home last month when Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant, but he was not arrested.
Investigators are also looking into allegations of statutory rape against Sean Combs, the source said.
NBC News previously reported that at least three women and one man have been interviewed by federal investigators in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
Aaron Dyer, one of Combs’ attorneys, issued a statement following last month’s property searches and said that Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.” He described the search as an ambush, saying there’s been a rush to judgment based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” Dyer said. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles and Doha Madani reported from New York.
