A former stylist who worked for American music star Sean “Diddy” Combs has filed a lawsuit accusing the rapper of sexual abuse and violence during the 10 years he worked for him.
Deonte Nash, who testified against Combs in his criminal trial earlier this year, filed the 37-page lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday.
The lawsuit accuses Combs and his record label Bad Boy Entertainment of sexual battery, human trafficking and false imprisonment.
According to the court documents, Nash said he was hired to work as Combs’ stylist around 2008 when he was 21 years old. He worked for the music mogul until about 2018.
During that time, Nash also worked as a stylist and creative director for Combs’ then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassandra Ventura. Ventura had also accused Combs of sexual abuse in a 2023 lawsuit and gave testimony against him during his trial.
The lawsuit states that Nash suffered serious abuse during his employment with Combs.
“Nash personally experienced sexual, physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of Defendants during his ten-year employment,” the lawsuit reads.
The court documents detail the alleged abuse, including “forced tests of loyalty and manipulation, sexual harassment and sexual assaults, physical violence and manhandling, labor trafficking, threats of harm, and threats of death.”
Nash claims that Combs sexually assaulted him on “multiple occasions” during his time working for the music star.
The lawsuit says the alleged abuse became so bad that Nash resigned from his job in 2018. However, Combs “continued to threaten Mr. Nash after his employment ended,” according to the court documents.
In one incident that Nash claims happened in 2013 or 2014, Combs discovered that Nash and Ventura had gone out to dinner in Los Angeles without getting permission first.
The next day, the lawsuit states, Combs became violent with Nash.
According to the court documents, Combs “threw” Nash “onto the car and violently strangled him” because of the unauthorized dinner.
The lawsuit describes another incident that allegedly occurred in 2014, when Combs and his security team entered Nash’s home without permission.
During this incident, they “confiscated Mr. Nash’s keys and phone while they forcibly searched the house” looking for Ventura, the lawsuit says.
Nash has now spoken out about his decision to take legal action against his former employer.
“After enduring years of abuse, I finally found the courage during the criminal trial, and I am now ready to take action,” Nash said in a statement.
He added: “Sean Combs has never taken accountability for the years of harm he inflicted on me and so many others.”
In July, after a long trial, the 55-year-old Combs was found guilty of two prostitution-related charges. However, he was cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Combs is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3.
During the criminal trial, Ventura testified that Combs repeatedly physically and sexually abused her during their relationship.
She gave evidence about a 2016 incident that was caught on surveillance video, showing Combs violently attacking her in the hallway of a California hotel.
Nash also testified in the trial about threats Combs made against Ventura, saying he “would beat her.”
Nash told the court about one time when Combs allegedly grabbed Ventura by the hair while she was sleeping and started hitting her “pretty hard.”
Nash testified that Ventura’s head hit a bed frame and started bleeding. After this, Combs told her, Nash and an assistant: “Look what y’all made me do.”
Nash said he tried to call 911 but was told to hang up. He said he was afraid of what Combs might do to him if he reported the abuse, but he did tell some of Combs’ employees about what he witnessed.
Nash also told the court that Combs got physical with him several times during his employment.
During the trial, Combs’ lawyers denied the sexual abuse allegations brought by Ventura. They argued that while evidence showed Combs may have lived a party lifestyle, he did not engage in racketeering conspiracy or sex trafficking.
Nash’s lawsuit is asking for both compensatory and punitive damages and demands a jury trial.
Combs’ lawyer, Erica Wolff, has responded to the new lawsuit, calling Nash “another opportunist looking to profit off his proximity to celebrity.”
Speaking to TMZ, Wolff said: “This complaint is riddled with falsehoods and stands in stark contrast to the record that has already been established in court.”
The lawyer continued: “Mr. Combs has dedicated his life and career to uplifting artists, creating opportunities, and building one of the most influential cultural enterprises in the world. Mr. Nash’s tabloid-style accusations are insulting not only to Mr. Combs, but also to the countless individuals who worked honorably and professionally within his companies.”
Wolff added: “In court, the truth will prevail, as it did in his criminal trial: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone – adult or minor, man or woman. Mr. Combs looks forward to clearing his name again in a court of law where truth matters.”
The new court documents claim that Combs turned Nash’s dream of becoming a celebrity stylist into a “nightmare” that he was “forced to endure nearly every single day” during the approximately 10 years he worked for the music star.
“The horrors Mr. Nash experienced continue to plague him even after his employment ended,” the documents state.
Nash’s legal team claims that through his employment, Combs subjected him to “a decade of sexual and physical assault, sexual and verbal harassment, trafficking, degradation and humiliation, threats to his life and well-being, stalking, control, and psychological manipulation.”
The lawsuit outlines several disturbing incidents, including a party in 2013 or 2014 where Combs allegedly exposed himself to Nash in front of other employees.
The court documents also claim that Combs repeatedly touched Nash’s body in a sexual way without his consent.
According to the lawsuit, Combs made “unwanted, inappropriate, sexually charged” remarks to Nash while they worked together.
Nash’s lawyers claim that Combs was fixated on Nash’s sexuality and brought it up constantly in front of friends and colleagues. These degrading comments left Nash feeling objectified and uncomfortable, according to the legal team.
The lawsuit cites several occasions where Combs was allegedly physically violent and apparently made it clear that Nash was only alive because he allowed it.
Nash’s lawyers say Combs allegedly used his power and threats of harm to force Nash to do what he wanted and keep him under his control.
The court documents claim that Nash has continued to receive threats even after leaving his job, and he still does not feel safe.
During Diddy’s criminal trial, when asked by Combs’ attorney if he was considering a civil lawsuit, Nash replied: “No, I’m focused on getting out of here.”
When asked if he had hired lawyers to consider suing Combs, Nash said he has lawyers “to protect me.”
