Another woman has come forward to accuse Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of sexual assault. Joining the increasing numbers of women who have made allegations against the music mogul is Thalia Graves. The 48-year-old has brought a lawsuit against the Bad Boy Records founder, claiming that he and his bodyguard Joseph Sherman sexually assaulted her in 2001. They then distributed the non-consensual footage of the alleged brutal rape that remains ‘in circulation’, she says.
‘It’s a pain that reaches into your very core of who you are. It goes beyond just physical harm caused by and during the assault,’ a tearful Thalia said in a press conference, supported by lawyer Gloria Allred, hours after she filed her lawsuit on 24 September. ‘The combination of physical and emotional pain has created a cycle of suffering from which it is so hard to break free.’
She added that the incident has taken a mental and physical toll on her wellbeing and relationships. ‘Some of the hardest parts of this pain are the shame and guilt I have experienced that plays a negative part in my day-to-day ability to function properly. The trauma of the assault has taken a toll on my mental health. I am emotionally scarred. It has been hard for me to trust others, form healthy relationships, or even feel safe in my own skin.’
Combs, 54, was arrested in New York on 16 September and is awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn after he was denied bail twice. Amongst the charges he is facing are those of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors accuse the record producer and rapper of running a criminal enterprise from at least 2008, using drugs and violence to force women ‘to fulfil his sexual desires’. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Who is Thalia Graves?
Thalia Graves, 48, is a businesswoman and influencer, known for her work in fashion and beauty. Originally from Houston, Texas, she moved to New York during her teenage years and lived in Queens.
How does Thalia Graves know P Diddy?
In the early 90s, Thalia started dating an employee of Bad Boy Records, which is how she claims she knows Combs. She alleges that she met his employer and friend several times in late 1999 and early 2000, when she frequently visited her then-boyfriend at the Bad Boy studio in New York City and attended events at Combs’ homes. Thalia claims that she ‘became familiar with Combs’, who knew about her relationship with his ambitious employee.
However, things allegedly turned darker in the summer of 2001.
What is Thalia Graves accusing Combs of in her lawsuit?
In her 26-page complaint against Combs, filed in Manhattan federal court, Thalia alleges that the record executive called her around summer 2001, saying that he wanted to talk to her about her boyfriend’s job. ‘Committed to helping’ her man who was ‘determined to climb up the ladder’, she agreed to meet with Combs.
Shortly after, an SUV arrived at her mother’s house in Queens, with Sherman – Combs’ security chief – behind the wheel and Combs in the backseat. She claims that Combs offered her a glass of wine, which she accepted during the ride.
After just a few sips, Thalia began to feel lightheaded and dizzy and lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself ‘naked, and her hands were tied behind her back with what felt like a plastic grocery bag’. She alleges that Sherman and Combs both violently raped her, before she lost consciousness again. When she came to, she claims that Sherman forced her to perform oral sex on him, and she lost consciousness again.
According to the complaint, she allegedly woke up on the sofa in Combs’ office with her dress thrown on top of her. A friend picked her up and took her to hospital to report the attack, but she was ‘shaking and crying hysterically’ and couldn’t leave the car as she was ‘terrified of what Combs would do to her and her family’. She told her then-boyfriend but he implored her not to report the alleged rape, saying it would harm his career.
Thalia claimed that ‘multiple times over the years’, Combs and Sherman warned her to stay quiet about the assault, ‘threatening repercussions’ such as physical violence and losing custody of her son. The alleged harassment got so intense that she moved to Pennsylvania, she said.
She claims that she only found out that Combs had filmed their attack on her in 2023 when her ex said that the pair had shown him and other men the video. Her ex told Thalia that Combs and Sherman ‘had a pattern and practice of non-consensually recording women engaging in sexual acts and making those videos available to the public, including by selling tapes as pornography’.
Combs nor his legal team have not responded to Thalia’s lawsuit. Sherman has called her complaint ‘false and baseless’ and called it a ‘clear attempt at a money grab’.
‘These accusations are not only false but damaging to my character. I have never met the accuser, and I was not working with Sean Combs during the time in question,’ he said in a statement. ‘I will be pursuing legal action to address this defamation and protect my name.’