Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a federal judge on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him and two co-defendants of raping a 17-year-old girl at a New York recording studio in 2003, calling it a “false and hideous claim” filed too late under the law.

The legal action is the latest counterattack from the 54-year-old hip-hop entrepreneur and his legal team following many similar cases and a related criminal sex-trafficking investigation.

“Mr. Combs and his companies categorically deny Plaintiff’s decades-old tale against them, which has caused incalculable damage to their reputations and business standing before any evidence has been presented,” the complaint said, naming Combs-owned corporations as defendants. “Plaintiff cannot allege what day or time of year the alleged incident occurred, but miraculously remembers other salacious details, despite her alleged incapacitated condition.”

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Asks Judge To Dismiss ‘False’ Claim That He, Others Raped 17-Year-Old Girl

The case was launched in December and amended in March by a lady who now lives in Canada but whose name was not revealed in the court filing. She claimed she was in 11th grade at a high school in a Detroit suburb in 2003 when Harve Pierre, then-president of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment record label, flew her to New York on a private jet and took her to a recording studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol until she was unable to consent to sexual activity. Then, according to the lawsuit, Pierre, Combs, and an unknown male raped her one after the other.

The lawsuit contained images of the woman sitting on Combs’ lap, which she claimed were shot on the night in question.

The defense brief requests that the action be “dismissed now, with prejudice”—which means it cannot be refiled—”to protect the Combs Defendants from further reputational injury and before more party and judicial resources are squandered.”

Michael J. Willemin, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, stated in a statement in reaction to the filing: “At this point, no one should take anything ‘Diddy’ or his lawyers say seriously. Today’s motion is Combs’ desperate attempt to dodge accountability for Ms. Doe’s allegations of gang rape and sexual abuse. “It will not work.”

The arguments are procedural rather than factual at this early stage of the action.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Asks Judge To Dismiss ‘False’ Claim That He, Others Raped 17-Year-Old Girl

Some of the lawsuits filed against Combs involve decades-old allegations, and they are among the more than 3,700 legal claims filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily suspends certain legal deadlines to give sexual assault victims one last chance to sue for abuse that occurred years or even decades ago.

The new deadlines imposed by that statute have expired, but the suit against which Combs filed the petition on Friday was filed under a separate law, New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection statute. That local legislation also allows accusers to file civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault after the statute of limitations has expired.

However, Combs’ motion claims that the action was filed too late since the city law is preempted by state law, which requires the lawsuit to be submitted by August 2021 to be timely.

“New York State law trumps New York City law, without exception,” the lawsuit states.

The updated version of the complaint filed in March attempted to resolve some of these flaws, but Combs’ lawyers claim it did not go far enough.

The judge has ordered that if the action proceeds following this challenge, the woman must give her name.

The Associated Press does not normally name anyone who claims to have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as several of Combs’ accusers have.

Friday’s defense filing also faults the suit for containing “a bolded, legally irrelevant ‘trigger warning’ calculated to focus attention on its salacious and depraved allegations.”

The singer Cassie, who was once Combs’ protege and lover, filed a lawsuit in November alleging beatings, rape, and other forms of abuse from 2005 to 2018. The complaint, submitted by the same attorneys who brought the challenged suit on Friday, was settled the following day. Combs rejected the charges through his lawyer before the settlement.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Asks Judge To Dismiss ‘False’ Claim That He, Others Raped 17-Year-Old Girl

Combs faced further lawsuits in the months that followed. Then, on March 25, Homeland Security Investigations served search warrants on his Los Angeles and Miami houses as part of a sex trafficking probe. His lawyer described it as “a gross use of military-level force.” The investigation is continuing. Combs hasn’t been charged.

Last month, Combs moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Joi Dickerson, who said she was a 19-year-old college student when Combs drugged and sexually abused her.

SOURCE – (AP)

Los Angeles — Brian Wilson,  Due to what his doctor refers to as a “major neurocognitive disorder,” a judge determined on Thursday that Beach Boys founder and legendary musician Brian Wilson should be placed under judicial conservatorship to govern his personal and medical decisions.

Following the death of his wife, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, in January, who was in charge of the majority of his affairs and chores, the 81-year-old Wilson’s family and inner circle filed a petition, which Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gus T. May granted during a hearing.

During the brief hearing, May stated, “I find from clear and convincing evidence that a conservatorship of the person is necessary.” The judge found that Brian lacks the capacity to make decisions about his own health care, and the evidence supports his assent to the arrangement.

May named manager LeeAnn Hard and publicist Jean Sievers, two seasoned Brian aides, as his conservators.

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A judge Determines That Brian Wilson Of The Beach Boys Need Conservatorship Due To Mental Deterioration.

No substantial complaints were voiced.

Through their attorney, Carnie and Wendy Wilson, two of Wilson’s seven children and members of the musical trio Wilson Phillips, requested that all of the children be included in a group text chain regarding their father and that they be considered when making medical choices. The judge accepted the agreement.

At a hearing on April 30, the two daughters had requested a postponement of the proceedings while the difficulties were resolved; nevertheless, it was evident during the hearing that a consensus had been achieved.

Wilson is receiving medicine for dementia, has a “major neurocognitive disorder,” and “is unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter,” according to a doctor’s affidavit that was filed with the petition in February.

Sievers and Hard have maintained strong contact with Brian and his spouse for many years. According to a report written by Robert Frank Cipriano, the lawyer the court assigned to defend Wilson’s interests, Wilson acknowledged the need for the conservatorship. Brian also expressed confidence in the two women’s judgment.

According to Cipriano’s report to the court, Brian lives with two kids and a long-term live-in caregiver at his “impeccably well maintained residence in Beverly Hills.”

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A Judge Determines That Brian Wilson Of The Beach Boys Need Conservatorship Due To Mental Deterioration.

According to Cipriano, Wilson has a decent understanding of who he is, where he is, and when he is. He can move around with assistance from a walker and the caregiver, but he is unable to name any of his children other than the two who live with him.

According to him, Brian “was largely difficult to understand and responded to questions and comments in very brief ways.”

Wilson’s broad approval, according to Cipriano, was a major factor in his approval of the conservatorship.

Following their marriage in 1995, Brian praised Ledbetter for stabilizing his well-known turbulent life. The two had met in the mid-1980s.

According to a family statement, Brian, his seven children, his caregiver, and his doctors conferred before the petition was submitted. To guarantee that “there will be no drastic changes” and that “Brian will be able to enjoy all of his family and friends and continue to work on current projects,” the decision was made, according to the statement.

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A Judge Determines That Brian Wilson Of The Beach Boys Need Conservatorship Due To Mental Deterioration.

In California, judges have the authority to choose a conservator for an individual, their assets (also known as the estate), or both, as was the case with Britney Spears. Legislative changes were sparked by Spears’ case, which raised awareness of conservatorships—also known as guardianships in some states—most of it unfavorable. Wilson’s situation is more in line with the conventional use of conservatorships, which are frequently established for elderly individuals experiencing permanent mental impairment.

Since Hard is a trustee of the trust in which Wilson’s assets are placed, the Wilson petition did not ask for a conservator of the estate.

Regarded as a great inventor of vocal harmony and a co-founder, producer, arranger, and principal songwriter of the Beach Boys, Wilson’s career was completely turned upside down in the 1960s due to his struggles with mental health and substance misuse.

In 1988, he was admitted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside his bandmates, which included his cousin Mike Love, siblings Carl and Dennis, and brother.

SOURCE – (AP)

Houston — Nine of the ten wrongful death claims brought following a deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld music festival have been resolved, including one that was scheduled to go to trial this week, an attorney said Wednesday.

The family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who was one of ten people killed during a crowd crush at rapper Travis Scott’s concert on November 5, 2021, had scheduled the jury selection to start on Tuesday.

However, Neal Manne, an attorney representing Live Nation, the festival’s promoter and one of those being sued alongside Scott, stated at a court hearing Wednesday that just one wrongful death claim remained active, while the other nine had been resolved, including the one brought by Dubiski’s family.

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9 Of 10 Wrongful Death Suits Over Astroworld Concert Crowd Surge Have Been Settled, Lawyer Says

During the court session, Noah Wexler, an attorney for Dubiski’s family, acknowledged that their case “is resolved in its entirety.”

The terms of the settlements were kept hidden, and attorneys declined to speak during the court session due to a gag order.

The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest child murdered at the concert, has filed the only wrongful death case that is still outstanding. Attorneys in the action were scheduled to meet next week to consider when Blount’s family’s lawsuit could go to trial.

“This case is ready for trial,” Scott West, an attorney for Blount’s family, stated in court.However, Manne stated that he and the lawyers representing the other defendants being sued were unprepared.

State District Judge Kristen Hawkins said she wanted to consider the Blount case at next week’s session, as well as prospective trials linked to the injury cases filed following the fatal concert.

Hawkins stated that if the Blount family’s lawsuit is unresolved, she intends to schedule it as the next trial rather than an injury case.

More than 4,000 litigants filed hundreds of lawsuits following the concert. Manne stated that over 2,400 injury cases remain pending.

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9 Of 10 Wrongful Death Suits Over Astroworld Concert Crowd Surge Have Been Settled, Lawyer Says

The notification that nearly all of the wrongful death lawsuits had been settled came after Dubiski’s trial was postponed last week. Apple Inc., which live-streamed Scott’s concert and was one of more than 20 defendants sued by Dubiski’s family, filed an appeal after a court denied its plea to be excluded from the case. The appeals court granted Apple a stay in the case.

In the days following the trial stay, Dubiski’s family’s attorneys reached an agreement with all of the defendants in the case, including Apple, Scott, and Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment organization.

At least four wrongful death claims had already been resolved and announced in court documents. However, Wednesday marked the first time lawyers in the dispute provided an update, stating that nine of the ten wrongful death lawsuits had been resolved.

In court filings, the attorneys for Dubiski’s family and the numerous other plaintiffs have argued that inadequate planning and a disregard for the venue’s capacity and safety were to blame for the concert’s fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

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9 Of 10 Wrongful Death Suits Over Astroworld Concert Crowd Surge Have Been Settled, Lawyer Says

The victims, aged 9 to 27, died from compression asphyxia, which an expert compared to being crushed by a car.

Scott, Live Nation, and the others who have been sued have refuted these allegations, stating that safety is their priority. They claimed what happened could not have been predicted.

Following a police inquiry, a grand jury declined to charge Scott and five others with the festival last year.

SOURCE – (AP)