Diddy Update: Woman Who Claims She Was Violently Gang-Raped Granted Extension Amid Startling 'New Facts'
A federal judge has granted an extension in a civil lawsuit filed against rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, which accuses him and his entourage of gang-raping a woman in Orinda.
As per court filings obtained by Fox KTVU, the extension was granted after the plaintiff's attorney presented "new facts" that required further investigation.
U.S. District Court Judge Rita Lin of Northern California approved the motion on Thursday, allowing until March 7 for the lawsuit to be served. Attorney Ariel Mitchell, representing the plaintiff Ashley Parham, initially faced a deadline of Feb. 14 to serve Combs or risk dismissal of the case.
Mitchell has indicated that verifying the new allegations is taking longer than anticipated. Meanwhile, Combs is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial on unrelated criminal sex trafficking charges.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Additionally, he is facing over 20 sexual abuse lawsuits nationwide, including Parham's, who claims Combs and his entourage assaulted her on March 23, 2018.
Her allegations include the insertion of a TV remote inside her body as retaliation for mentioning Combs' alleged involvement in Tupac Shakur's murder years ago.
While Parham's lawsuit does not include criminal charges against Combs, a report from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office stated that her claims were deemed "unfounded."
Ashley Parham's Lawsuit
In October, California resident Ashley Parham filed a lawsuit in federal court in Northern California against Combs, claiming sexual assault, battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping based on an alleged incident in March 2018.
As reported by USA TODAY, Parham claims she first saw Combs on FaceTime back in February 2018 via a call from a man she met at a bar. During that phone conversation, she says, she accused Combs of being involved in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, and a month later, the man "set her up" to be attacked by Combs.
In the lawsuit, Parham alleges that Combs pulled a knife on her before raping her at an apartment in Orinda, a city near Oakland, with at least one other unidentified accomplice.
The suit also lists Kristina Khorram, who Combs called "my right hand" at Combs Enterprises, as a co-defendant. Khorram is alleged to have helped carry out and cover up the attack.
Parham is asking for $50 million and a jury trial. Combs, who is locked up awaiting trial on federal criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty, denies all the allegations.
Combs' attorneys said the lawsuits against him have been "discredited," and expressed concern media coverage could rob him of his right to due process.
Reed said Parham reported the incident to both the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office and Walnut Creek Police Department but, at first, electively did not identify Combs as an assailant for fear of repercussion.
Read more: Diddy Accused of Anally Raping a 17-Year-Old Boy in a Nightclub in New Disturbing Lawsuit
Originally published in Music Times.