Online Reporter
NEW YORK. – A lawyer representing several alleged victims of Sean “Diddy” Combs says more celebrities are likely to be named in the case which has gripped the world.
Tony Buzbee told the BBC that the potential number of civil legal cases against Diddy “is probably in the 300 range”.
This week, Jay-Z was dragged into the mess in a civil lawsuit.
The back and forth has only fuelled speculation that more high-profile music industry figures will become ensnared in the upcoming trials.
Mr Buzbee called that eventuality “very likely”.
“If you just look at the conduct that’s being alleged, it’s pretty ubiquitous. There was a culture that was created, a party culture, where anything goes,” he said.
“There was just a general feeling that he (Mr Combs])was above the law, that he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with whomever he wanted.”
Social media has seen a flurry of speculation, linking people to Mr Combs’ alleged crimes – based on little more than photos of showbusiness parties in the 1990s and 2000s.
Needless to say, there is no evidence to back up those allegations.
Buzbee told the BBC his team had received about 3,000 calls since he held a news conference calling for clients in October.
He has already issued 20 lawsuits from men and women seeking damages from the musician; and says that “realistically” the final total will be “about 100 to 150”.
Others will not make it to court because the time limit for filing claims has expired in certain states.
Mr Combs has denied all the charges against him, calling the accusations “sickening” and the result of people looking for a “quick payday”.
His lawyers have characterised the multiple civil lawsuits, including the claims of 300 potential victims, as a part of a “reckless media circus”.
They said Buzbee’s press conference, and the creation of a toll-free phone number for tip-offs, were “clear attempts to garner publicity”.
In a statement to the BBC, his attorney Erica Wolff said: “Mr Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.
“In court, the truth will prevail: That Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”
The musician is currently being held in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Detention Centre, awaiting trial on separate criminal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, which he also denies.
Buzbee, whose practice is based in Houston, is an outsised character in US legal circles, once described by the New York Times as “a big, mean, ambitious, tenacious, fire-breathing Texas trial lawyer”.
A former Marine and a TV show host, he made his name suing the energy giant BP after an explosion at an oil refinery in Texas City killed 15 people; and successfully defended former Texas governor Rick Perry against abuse-of-power allegations.
More recently, he helped a sizeable group of women reach out-of-court settlements with American Football player Deshaun Watson over allegations he had sexually assaulted them during private massage sessions.
His involvement with Mr Combs began last year – after his co-counsel Andrew Van Arsdale, who previously represented hundreds of victims in a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, began receiving calls about the star.
“I think he got a little bit overwhelmed, and he realised that this might be more than he could handle [on his own]”, Buzbee says.
After agreeing to help, Buzbee asked potential victims to come forward via an Instagram post. In the next 10 days, he estimates his team received 3,000 calls.
“We still get [calls] every single day,” he added. “I think that the potential [number of] cases is probably in the 300 range, but I think realistically, it’ll ultimately be about 100 to 150.” – Reuters
