Byline: Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, (TNS)
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been named in another civil lawsuit, this time by a woman alleging that his son Christian "King" Combs sexually assaulted her aboard a superyacht the Bad Boy Entertainment co-founder charted in late 2022.
But the Combs team dismissed it as "just another lewd and meritless claim" by her attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, that is "filled with the same kind of manufactured lies and irrelevant facts" that they've come to expect from the New York-based lawyer.
In the lawsuit, filed April 4 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Grace O'Marcaigh added her name to the list of people accusing the embattled business mogul of alleged wrongdoing while he faces a federal probe into sex trafficking allegations. O'Marcaigh, who worked as a steward on the Victorious ship, alleged that the 26-year-old rapper Christian Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her in late December 2022 aboard the boat charter, which Diddy "sold as a wholesome family excursion" that devolved into a "hedonistic environment."
O'Marcaigh, who was 25 around the time of the alleged incident, provided dinner and drink service on the yacht from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The bartender also said she witnessed partying and drug use between a "constant rotation of suspected sex workers and other A-List celebrities, according to the filing reviewed April 9 by Los Angeles Times.
O'Marcaigh is accusing Christian Combs, one of Diddy's children with the late model Kim Porter, of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial. Diddy, 54, who is named as a co-defendant, is being sued for premises liability as the person who leased the yacht and "had full control of the staff and premises" and for aiding and abetting his son in the alleged assault. O'Marcaigh accused him of orchestrating a "subsequent coverup" of her alleged assault that ultimately resulted in her termination in May 2023.
She claimed that Diddy allowed for "unwanted exposure to unlawful drug use, sex work, and general chaos," adding that the mogul "created an extremely hazardous environment" in which staff was often "treated with disrespect, suspected sex workers were sprawled out unconscious about the yacht, and it was difficult to distinguish which bottles of alcohol were laced with drugs and which bottles were not." She described women aboard the yacht "falling over themselves, panicking, or passing out" after one shot of tequila or one mixed drink that she believed was "likely laced with drugs."
The complaint was filed by attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn, the lawyer who is also representing Diddy's former Love album producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones in a bombshell sexual harassment and assault case brought against the Grammy Award winner, his son Justin "Dior" Combs, Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and other members of Diddy's inner circle. (O'Marcaigh, in her complaint, described Jones as "an extended member of the service staff" who spent time with her at the service bar and piano room on the yacht.)
She also made several other allegations about illicit behavior by Diddy and Gooding, whom she said she witnessed "inappropriately touching" Jones, as was alleged in Jones' lawsuit.
"Like father, like son," Blackburn said in a statement to NBC News, which first reported on the new lawsuit. "It gives us no joy or pleasure in filing this suit against Christian Combs who has clearly adopted his father's pattern and practice of depravity."
Blackburn and fellow filing attorney Rodney S. Diggs did not respond Friday to LA Times' requests for comment.
"This is just another lewd and meritless claim from Tyrone Blackburn — just like what he filed in the Rodney Jones lawsuit, which he still has not served," said attorney Aaron Dyer, who represents both Sean and Christian Combs.
"This complaint is filled with the same kind of manufactured lies and irrelevant facts we've come to expect from Blackburn. This is exactly why the federal judge in New York slapped him two days ago for a 'pattern of behavior' in 'improperly [filing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly,' and why he was referred to the disciplinary committee in the Southern District of New York. We will be filing a motion to dismiss this outrageous claim."
In the past, Diddy has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the lawsuits. Four women, including his ex Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, have sued him since last November alleging sexual assault.
O'Marcaigh, who is described in court documents as "a European Caucasian female who worked as a Stewardess in the Yachting Industry since 2018," said she planned to work the entirety of her career in hospitality and the yachting industry, but, as stated in her complaint, "those plans have been derailed due to the trauma [she] continues to have as a result of the assault."
On or around December 28, 2022 — days before Diddy hosted a star-studded New Year's Eve party aboard the ship — O'Marcaigh said that she worked the late shift on the yacht when Christian Combs, who usually stayed at a nearby villa on shore, came aboard "heavily intoxicated" from what O'Marcaigh believed was "a mixture of narcotics and alcohol."
While she was serving drinks in the studio where Jones also was present that night, Christian was being "particularly attentive with her, which she considered very inappropriate." Christian then insisted that O'Marcaigh take a shot of tequila, which she believed he had spiked. She stated that she "felt comfortable knowing that Mr. Jones was present and "didn't think anything more of it," and thought she could return to the pantry after the drink. But when she took the shot, she said the "mood changed" and things "became sinister."
O'Marcaigh described Christian violently grabbing her arm and hurting her as he insisted that she take another shot. After that, "the situation escalated" and she described being physically assaulted by Christian, whom she alleged touched her legs, breasts, anus and vagina, and who also tried to kiss her on the neck, face and hands.
She said the timeline became "very blurry and vague."
But because O'Marcaigh said Diddy insisted on "Mr. Jones recording everything," Lil Rod obtained an audio recording of the alleged incident in which O'Marcaigh believes Christian drugged and assaulted her. The recording was submitted as an exhibit in O'Marcaigh's case.
In a transcript of the recording included in the complaint to describe the alleged incident, O'Marcaigh tries to leave but Christian does not let her. She tells him not to touch her legs or backside.
After she left, the complaint said, Christian later found her and "demanded that she find him a place to sleep on the yacht" and he refused to go back to shore.
O'Marcaigh went with him to the cinema, which was commonly used as an extra sleeping area, and he allegedly blocked her from exiting. She described Christian getting "physical and extremely aggressive," cornering her and allegedly groping her despite her pushing back. He allegedly removed his clothes, exposed his erect penis and physically tried to force her to perform oral sex on him. She began fighting him, and then one of her colleagues entered the cinema, startling Christian and O'Marcaigh was able to leave.
She said she was "seriously bruised as a result of the attack," that she did not consent to any of the sexual assault or misconduct, and that she was drugged and intoxicated by Christian. Images of her bruising were also included in the complaint.
O'Marcaigh said she complained to the yacht captain the next morning but alleged that he "berated [her and] lacked compassion or concern, failed to investigate, and insisted that [she] was probably voluntarily partying with the guests." (She said she was not.)
After the incident, O'Marcaigh said that she was assigned to work in the front of the house, which required her to personally serve Christian Combs while he was aboard the yacht. She also alleged that the captain "received a generous tip" from Diddy to keep him "quiet and from protecting [O'Marcaigh] or taking action on her behalf."
She alleged that Diddy "fostered and encouraged an environment of debauchery" and "did not have any safeguards in place to ensure there was no excessive drug use, no excessive drinking, and no importation of purported sex workers."
"He intentionally created an unsafe environment that gave license to [Christian Combs] and his friends to believe that he was free to sexually assault [O'Marcaigh]" and allowed him and his friends "to behave carelessly, as they observed and mimicked his actions."
O'Marcaigh said that the alleged assault deeply impacted her mental health, as well as her professional and personal life. She alleged that as a result of the alleged attack, her mental health deteriorated, she experienced anxiety and panic attacks and had severe suicidal ideations, the lawsuit said. She claimed the emotional strain also affected her physical health and she developed an eating disorder and epileptic seizures following the incident.
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If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
