Months after settling a hefty lawsuit launched by his ex-girlfriend of 11 years, Cassie, Diddy is facing another lawsuit, this time by Rodney Jones, otherwise known as Lil Rod, a former producer and videographer that worked for Diddy on his most recent album.

 

Rodney is seeking $30 million in his lawsuit against Diddy, which also names others, including Diddy’s son, Justin; his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam as defendants. In his lawsuit, Rodney accuses Diddy of sexually harassing, drugging and threatening him over more than a year. Rodney says he lived and traveled with Diddy between September 2022 and November 2023, and during that time, obtained hours of video footage and audio recordings of Diddy, his staff and others “engaging in serious illegal activity.”

Rodney’s alleges he was sexually assaulted by Diddy repeatedly and became the subject of unwanted sexual advances by his associates when he instructed. According to TMZ, Rodney was groped, and forced to watch Diddy “parade” around without clothes on. 

 

According to the claim, he says he felt as if Diddy was trying to “groom him into having sex”, minimizing the disturbing events that were taking place and categorizing them as “horseplay”. Rodney also claims he was forced to watch a video of another celebrity, Stevie J, having sex with another man – even including a screen grab of the video he says he forcefully had to watch.

 

Stevie J is not the only celebrity mentioned in the lawsuit. Rodney alleges that he was introduced to Cuba Gooding Jr. on a yacht Diddy owned. During that meeting, Rodney says Cuba started "touching, groping, and fondling Mr. Jones's legs, his upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks and his shoulders." There are photos of Rodney and Cuba together.

Also damning was Rodney’s claim that a cousin of Yung Miami, whom Diddy reportedly dated recently before the surprise announcement that he welcomed his seventh child, which I wrote about here, sexually assaulted him, trying to have sex with him in front of Diddy and his staffers.

The lawsuit continues with mentions of sex workers and allegations that Rodney was drugged and possibly raped. He says on many occasions, Diddy served women, often underage according to Rodney, his branded tequila and vodka which had been laced with drugs, unbeknownst to them. Rodney’s mention of Diddy’s son’s involvement is especially interesting. Rodney claims Diddy tasked his son, Justin Combs, with the job of recruiting sex workers and underaged girls to attend these parties. 

 

None of this is looking good for Diddy, who, as you may recall, quickly and swiftly settled the lawsuit with Cassie once she came forward with her disturbing allegations. That’s part of the reason so many people on social media are curious about how, exactly, he will deal with this lawsuit considering the level of detail and evidence included in Rodney’s allegations.

For those who have been following the allegations Diddy’s facing, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, despite just how heinous the allegations are. In recent months, there were a few social media accounts that shared snippets of many of the exact allegations Rodney made in his lawsuit shortly after Cassie filed hers, but protected his name because he hadn’t filed his suit in a federal court yet. And Rodney’s lawsuit is not expected to be the last of Diddy’s legal troubles – there are still tons of people from Diddy’s camp that could come forward. Many are also wondering if Fonzworth Bentley, who rose to fame during his tenure as Diddy’s valet and recently shared this photo on Instagram, will be coming forward with what he knows. 

 

The thing about this case, much like the cases of other serial predators and abusers, like R. Kelly, is that it ranges far beyond just him in scope. In the piece I wrote about R. Kelly, I discussed the role of his “handlers”, which were members of his inner circle tasked with enabling him to conduct his sexual abuse. What we’re seeing with Diddy is that he, too, brought many others in, according to this lawsuit, his own son, to help him abuse women, and in Rodney’s case, men, too.

It's something we see quite often with predators, particularly ones who operate either on a large scale or predators that have a lot of power and money, because the incentive for people to help them carry out their abuse is certainly there, whether it’s being invited to lavish parties or having a designated seat on the private jet. After a certain point, it is hardly a job that one person can do on their own. Consider the role of Ghislaine Maxwell in Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse or Karla Homolka in Paul Bernardo’s horrbile crimes*.

Yung Miami’s role in all of this might explain why she’s remained so tight-lipped in recent months, even as Cassie’s lawsuit was settled. Back in November, social media users pestered her about how she could possibly remain so silent considering her level of involvement with Diddy. But she and her cousin being mentioned in this lawsuit would certainly explain it. 

One thing I’m curious to see is how the fact that Rodney is a man will come into play, particularly in the discussion of this lawsuit and how seriously it’s taken, not only in the court of law but also in the court of public opinion. Historically, rap, hip-hop and R&B have been very homophobic genres, fostering a culture of shame around same-sex relations. So the dichotomy of one of hip-hop’s most elite families being named in a lawsuit littered with discussions of sexual encounters between men, whether forced or consensual, is striking to me.

 

Something else that stood out, despite the differences in their cases, is the often-used response from the legal team. Whether you’re a man or a woman, when you come forward with sexual assault allegations, particularly when your opponent is wealthy and powerful, your bravery renders you some sort of desperate liar in need of a “payday”, which is exactly what Diddy’s lawyer, Shawn Holley, says of Rodney:

"Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday. His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."

Somewhere in the background of this frenzy, albeit quietly but still on the minds of many, is how Diddy’s three daughters, Chance, D’Lila and Jessie are processing all of this news. For months, they’ve been bombarded by headlines alleging their father, and now their brother, played a role in the sexual abuse of women, some just a few years older than them. It’s got to be an awful time for them and I truly hope they have the support they need, especially as they navigate this without their mother.

As Melayna wrote, abusive men in hip-hop run rampant. As unfortunate as it has been to hear about the horrifying experiences people like Cassie and Rodney (allegedly) and so many others have experienced at the hands of men like Diddy, Dr. Dre, L.A. Reid, Tory Lanez, Nas and Fabolous, I’m hopeful that people will realize that not even career longevity, money, liquor brands, NDAs and recording labels can protect you from finally having your day in court. You just can’t help but hope that the more stories that are told, the less there will be to tell. 

 

*the first version of this post referred to Paul Bernardo's actions as "sick obsessions".  We did not intend to offend anyone with this word choice and have made the above correction.