Sean 'Diddy' Combs' mother defends him amid legal troubles: 'A public lynching of my son'
Janice Smalls Combs, mother of Sean "Diddy" Combs, is speaking out on the rap mogul's mounting legal troubles.
In an emotional statement released via Combs' attorney Natlie G. Figgers on Sunday, Combs said she is "devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son."
Following a series of civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, including a settlement with ex-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, Sean Combs was arrested in Manhattan on Sept. 16 and subsequently charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The arrest came just six months after Diddy’s Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by Homeland Security Investigations as part of a sex trafficking investigation.
"It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies," Combs said in the statement shared on Instagram. "To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.
"Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence."
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Despite a proposed $50 million bail, Sean Combs was ordered to remain in custody at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his trial — a ruling his legal team has challenged in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Bad Boy Records founder has denied all accusations against him, although he publicly apologized in May after surveillance video leaked of him physically assaulting Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' mother says he's 'made mistakes in his past'
Combs addressed her son's November 2023 settlement with Ventura, as well as the footage of his physical abuse, in her statement Sunday.
"My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel's surveillance showed otherwise," Combs said. "Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed."
She added: "This is why I believe my son's civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend's lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt."
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At the time of their settlement, Sean Combs' lawyer Ben Brafman told USA TODAY: "Mr. Combs' decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims." However, in his May apology, Diddy said he was "disgusted" by his behavior in his 2016 altercation with Ventura, which reportedly took place at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles.
"I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not," Combs said. "He has made mistakes in his past as we all have."
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' mother slams his accusers for seeking 'a quick payday'
Additional allegations of sexual abuse followed in the wake of Sean Combs' arrest. A woman, whose boyfriend purportedly worked as an executive at Bad Boy Records, claimed Diddy and his former bodyguard "viciously raped" her in 2001 in a Sept. 24 complaint. Another woman, in a lawsuit filed Sept. 27, alleged he drugged and impregnated her over four years of abuse.
Earlier this month, Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee announced a series of pending civil lawsuits against the embattled music mogul. The attorney revealed he's representing 120 accusers, who plan to bring allegations of "violent sexual assault or rape," "facilitated sex with a controlled substance," "dissemination of video recordings" and "sexual abuse of minors," among other offenses.
In her defense of her son, Combs said that "not being entirely straightforward about one issue does not mean my son is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him."
"These lies thrown at him are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice," Combs said. "These individuals saw how quickly my son's civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend's lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son."
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She added: "The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him."
Sean Combs' next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10.
"My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side," Combs concluded. "I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated."
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, Anika Reed, Brendan Morrow and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY