Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has temporarily stepped down as chairman of Revolt, the TV network he co-founded, amidst a wave of sexual assault allegations, Rolling Stone has confirmed.
No further details about the decision were given, such as who would take up Combs’ role in the interim and when he might return. TMZ first reported the news, saying Combs — who has denied the allegations against him — decided to temporarily step down last week.
Combs has been hit with three sexual assault lawsuits in recent weeks. The deluge began with the R&B singer Cassie, who sued Combs, claiming he raped and physically abused her over the course of a decade. Just one day after filing the suit, however, Combs and Cassie reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Cassie (real name Cassandra Venture) said in a statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs said at the time, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Five days after that, a second lawsuit was filed, accusing Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting a former Syracuse University college student in 1991 and filming the incident. The suit also claimed that Combs showed the video to others in an act described as “revenge porn.”
In response to this suit, a rep for Combs said, “[The] 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
A third lawsuit, filed Nov. 24 by an anonymous accuser, alleged that Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping the plaintiff and her friend in 1990 and 1991. A couple of days after the alleged rape, Jane Doe claimed Combs showed up at the home where she and her friend were staying and turned violent: “He was irate and began assaulting and choking Jane Doe to the point that she passed out,” the complaint claimed. “Combs was searching for Jane Doe’s friend because he was worried that she would tell the girl he was with at the time what he and Hall had done to them.”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
