Former stylist for Sean "Diddy" Combs says his lawsuit isn't about money: "It's about making myself feel whole"
A former stylist for Sean "Diddy" Combs says he was frightened throughout his roughly decade-long experience working for the music magnate, whom he's suing for alleged sexual abuse and violence — allegations that Combs has denied, with his legal team calling them "falsehoods."
Deonte' Nash accused Combs of sexually, physically and emotionally abusing him since he started working for Combs and his label, Bad Boy Entertainment. He's seeking general and compensatory damages as well as punitive damages in the case although he would not give a specific dollar amount.
Combs' attorney Erica Wolff slammed Nash's 37-page complaint against Combs, suggesting he's "another opportunist looking for profit off of his proximity to celebrity." But Nash says his lawsuit is "absolutely not" about money.
New lawsuit is "not about money," Nash says
"This is about getting back everything I worked for," he said. "It's not about money. It's about making myself feel whole and I can do it."
The 39-year-old stylist claims Combs choked him multiple times, describing one alleged incident that occurred after he went to a restaurant with R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Combs' ex-girlfriend, the night before a music video shoot — an outing he says Combs disapproved of.
"He just came in with such a bad attitude. So, I just left the room. You know what I mean? And I went outside to smoke a cigarette. I don't know how he found me, my back was turned, the next thing I know he's coming up to me and grabbing me and choking me and throwing me on the car," Nash alleged.
In a statement to CBS News, Wolff said Nash's "tabloid-style accusations are insulting" and that Combs looks forward to clearing his name in court.
"In court, the truth will prevail, as it did in his criminal trial: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman," Wolff said. Combs was convicted on prostitution-related counts, but was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking in July. He's set to be sentenced on Friday after spending around 13 months in a Brooklyn federal jail.
Nash, who stopped working for Combs in 2018, said he only recently felt empowered to speak up about the alleged abuse he suffered. He said he was subpoenaed by the prosecution to testify in May at Combs' high-profile trial.
Nash says he took the stand not just for himself, but for Ventura, who also served as a key witness for the prosecution. Nash also styled Ventura while working for Combs and considers her a friend, alleging in his lawsuit that they were "bonded by the trauma they experienced."
Nash says he was "frightened the whole time"
The stylist started working for Combs at just 21 years old and said he was intimidated by the music mogul's position of power and influence.
"We were frightened. I was frightened for myself, my life, my livelihood. I was frightened for my friend, our other friends that he would harass. I was frightened the whole time. I signed up for Bad Boy Entertainment and record label. I didn't sign up for that kind of treatment. And it will last me for the rest of my life," Nash said.
Nash says while his pain from that period of life will last for a lifetime, he hopes to find some form of comfort after Combs is sentenced on Friday.
"I hope that the sentence is something good enough for the victims to get some peace and get their lives together and feel like they've gotten justice. I mean, that's really all I can ask for," Nash said.
Prosecutors want Combs, 55, to be ordered locked up for at least 11 years, while Combs' defense team has asked for no more than 14 months, arguing that he's already served enough time.