Sean 'Diddy' Combs' defence and prosecutors are prepare their closing statements in his momentous sex trafficking trial in New York. In eight weeks, the court has heard several harrowing testimonies from key witnesses in the trial, including his ex-girlfriend of 10 years Cassie Ventura, a former escort Daniel Phillip and former employee Capricorn Clark. He faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution and has pleaded not guilty in court.
However, Diddy also faces a mounting pile of civil allegations, where he stands accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse, spanning a 20-year period. He denies all allegations. One of the complainants first filed her allegations as Jane Doe before coming forward to reveal her identity.
Who is Anna Kane?
Anna Kane, who was formerly married to Edmonton Oilers player Evander Kane, amended her complaint last December to use her real name after the US District Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke ruled she had to in order to continue her lawsuit.
In a statement to People, Kane said, 'I had hoped to use a pseudonym in pursuing justice for what happened to me as a teenager. She added, 'Defendants' demand that I use my name was an attempt to intimidate me, but I am not intimidated. I am prepared to proceed and hold accountable those who have harmed me.'
In December 2023, one month after Cassie filed a lawsuit against Diddy claiming he subjected her to a 'pattern of control and abuse for a decade', Kane sued Diddy, the former Bad Boy CEO Harve Pierre and a third unknown associate for sex trafficking and gang rape when she was 17 years old.
According to Kane, Pierre approached her at a lounge in Michigan and convinced her to take a private jet with him and a third person to New Jersey. She was then allegedly taken to Daddy's House Recording Studio in Manhattan and Kane claims she was given drugs and alcohol before being 'viciously gang raped [...] one after the other'.
Kane alleges that she was slipping in and out of consciousness and that three men took turns raping her in the bathroom despite he pleas for them to stop. Eventually, she claims she blacked out, waking up in a foetal position and experiencing vaginal pain. According to the lawsuit, she was taken back to the airport and flown home once she had 'regained her bearings'.
Pierre denied the allegations. Diddy also denied Kane's allegations in 2023 via a statement. 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,' he told People. 'For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.'
Kane's lawyer also released a statement at the time. 'As alleged in the complaint, Defendants preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang raped by three individual defendants at Mr. Combs' studio.' The lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, continued, 'The depravity of these abhorrent acts has, not surprisingly, scarred our client for life.'
What did Anna Kane say in her amended lawsuit?
Kane's amended suit explains that she has 'lived with her memories of this fateful night for 20 years, during which time she has suffered extreme emotional distress that has impacted nearly every aspect of her life and personal relationships'. Adding, 'Given the brave women who have come forward against Mr Combs and Mr Pierre in recent weeks, Ms Kane is doing the same.'
The sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues in New York, with closing arguments scheduled for 26 and 27 June.