An anonymous male celebrity has reportedly sued a lawyer representing several people accusing rapper Diddy of sexual assault due to an alleged extortion attempt.
According to CNN, a “celebrity and public figure who resides in Los Angeles” sued Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee this week in Los Angeles Superior Court under the name “John Doe”. The celebrity claimed that Buzbee and his firm were “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or else publicly file wildly false horrific allegations against him.”
Doe’s lawyers further claim Buzbee sent a letter earlier this month threatening to “unleash entirely fabricated and salacious allegations of sexual assault” including “multiple instances of rape of a minor, both male and female” if the anonymous celebrity “refuses to comply with their demands.”
The lawsuit went on to allege that Buzbee’s firm is trying to target celebrities associated with Diddy to capitalise off the “explosive allegations” against the rapper.
In a statement to CNN, Buzbee said of the accusations: “If you are trying to hide your identity and you claim you did nothing wrong, [it] doesn’t seem very smart to take this approach. We will address it in due course. I have confidence that with full public disclosure all of this will sort itself out.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. CREDIT: Prince Williams/WireImage/Getty
Buzbee currently represents at least 120 alleged victims of Diddy (real name Sean Combs), who has denied the allegations against him. Diddy has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest on September 16, where he has been denied bail multiple times.
He was first denied bail after offering a $50million (£38.4m) bond, and was reportedly placed on suicide watch, while he has since appealed against the bail denial. He pleaded not guilty to an indictment that saw him charged with racketeering and sex trafficking, and his trial in the federal criminal case is set to begin on May 5 next year.
Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reported last week that, according to court filings the publication obtained, Combs has broken jail regulations by paying prison inmates to use their phone accounts, with prosecutors claiming they have the recordings of the various calls he has made. And, his son King Combs announced earlier this month that he’d be controlling his father’s social media while in prison.
In other news, a lawyer has claimed singer Dawn Richard was “absolutely terrified” of Diddy.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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