A federal judge has explained why he dismissed a $60 million civil lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, marking another major legal win for the embattled 55-year-old music mogul and rapper.
The case, filed by former Making the Band 2 contestant Sara Rivers, accused Diddy of sexual assault and harassment during filming of the early 2000s MTV reality show.
But in a newly issued 28-page ruling, Judge Jed Rakoff said she brought her case far too late, well after the statutes of limitations had expired.
Keep reading to find out more…
“It is important to remember the many positive purposes served by statutes of limitations,” he wrote, via Billboard. “They promote justice by preventing surprises through plaintiffs’ revival of claims that have been allowed to slumber until evidence has been lost, memories have faded, and witnesses have disappeared.”
The singer argued that fear of retaliation from Diddy and his business empire explained her delay, but the judge rejected that reasoning.
“General claims of psychological stress cannot give rise to duress tolling,” he wrote.
The judge compared her case to a similar ruling earlier this year in which another plaintiff’s claim of a “culture of intimidation” was not enough to excuse decades of delay, saying the same logic applied in Sara‘s lawsuit.
She later joined the hip-hop group Da Band, and alleged that Diddy groped her in a recording studio and later sabotaged her career after she rejected him. While most of her claims were permanently dismissed, the judge deferred ruling on one allegation tied to New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence Protection Act, citing pending appeals that could affect the interpretation of the law.
The dismissal comes weeks after Diddy was acquitted on the most serious charges in his federal criminal trial, though he was found guilty on two lesser counts. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October. Find out if he’s getting out of jail before then.
