A music producer suing Sean “Diddy” Combs over allegations of sexual harassment and assault has now listed Cuba Gooding Jr. as a defendant in the case.
According to the amended civil complaint, which was filed in a US District Court in Manhattan on Monday night, the actor is accused of “groping” Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones on a yacht last year.
In the suit, Jones alleged Gooding Jr “began touching, groping, and fondling Mr Jones’ legs, his upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks, and his shoulders”.
The 38-year-old producer “was extremely uncomfortable and proceeded to lean away from Mr Gooding Jr… he rejected his advances and Mr Gooding Jr did not stop until Mr Jones forcibly pushed him away.”
Mr Jones said the alleged incident occurred in January 2023 on a yacht rented by Combs in the US Virgin Islands.
According to the new complaint, Combs introduced Jones to Gooding Jr. on the boat, and left the pair alone in a “makeshift studio” on board.
The 56-year-old actor has not been charged with any crime in connection with the alleged incident.
Rodney’s lawsuit against Diddy was initially filed last month, in which he accused the rapper of forcing him to solicit prostitutes and pressuring him to have sex with them.
At the time, Combs’ lawyer branded his claims “complete lies”.
The updated suit was filed just hours after federal agents raided Diddy’s homes in LA and Miami in connection to a sex trafficking investigation.
A rep for Homeland Security Investigations told TMZ on Monday: “Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners. We will provide further information as it becomes available.”
The rapper, who has faced numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assault over the past few months, was nowhere to be seen in aerial footage of the raids.
Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie was the first to speak out against the 54-year-old, accusing him of rape, assault and repeated physical abuse in a lawsuit filed in November 2023.
The former couple dated on and off from 2007 until 2018.
At the time, Diddy vehemently denied her “offensive and outrageous allegations”.
A statement from his lawyer Ben Brafman said: “For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail.”
“Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
The following day, Cassie dropped the suit and announced that they had settled “amicably”.
Since then, four more alleged victims have come forward accusing Diddy of sexual assault. Diddy has denied all the accusations, and claimed they are “looking for a quick payday”.
