The entertainment industry finds itself engulfed in a surge of sexual assault allegations as survivors leverage the closing window provided by the New York Survivors Statute. High-profile figures such as hip-hop mogul Diddy, actor Jamie Foxx, and music executive Jimmy Iovine are now grappling with legal challenges as they face lawsuits stemming from these accusations.
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The entertainment industry is facing a tidal wave of sexual assault allegations as survivors take advantage of the closing window provided by the New York Survivors Statute.
Hip-hop mogul Diddy, actor Jamie Foxx, and music executive Jimmy Iovine have all been sued. Diddy is facing a second lawsuit alleging sexual assault. Joi Dickerson-Neal, a former Syracuse University student, claims that the Bad Boy Records CEO drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1991.
According to the lawsuit filed on Nov. 23, Diddy recorded the assault, and a male friend later revealed that he had seen the video. The incident left Dickerson-Neal battling severe depression and thoughts of suicide.
Another anonymous woman filed a lawsuit on Nov. 24 accusing Diddy and singer Aaron Hall of raping her and her friend at an event hosted by Uptown Records in 1990 or 1991. The lawsuit alleges that Hall coerced the plaintiff into having sex with the hip-hop mogul, and later, Hall forced himself onto her.
The suits were filed in the New York Supreme Court, both before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act on Nov. 24, which allows adult sexual assault survivors one year to sue regardless of when the original statute of limitations expired.
In a separate lawsuit, Jamie Foxx is being sued by an anonymous woman for an incident that occurred in New York in 2015. The plaintiff claims that Foxx touched her inappropriately at a rooftop lounge and bar, placing his hands on her waist and rubbing her breasts.
She further alleges that Foxx slid his hand into her pants, and touched her genital area. The woman says she suffered physical injuries and emotional distress as a result of the assault.
Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine has also been hit with a sexual assault lawsuit.
On Nov. 22, a woman, who chose to remain anonymous accused Iovine of sexually abusing, touching, and harassing her in August 2007. The lawsuit includes charges of assault and battery, as well as violations of gender-motivated violence protection laws.
No arrests or court dates have been set for any of the men involved in these lawsuits, leaving survivors anxiously awaiting justice.
On November 16, Diddy’s former girlfriend, Cassie filed a $30 million lawsuit against Diddy and accused him of abuse and rape during their decade-long relationship. The Cassie vs. Diddy lawsuit would settle for an undisclosed amount the next day.
Someone close to Diddy, who also was hit with sexual assault allegations was former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre. An anonymous woman accused Pierre of abusing his authority to exploit and assault her.
In a similar vein, music executive L.A. Reid, co-founder of LaFace Records, is facing sexual assault allegations. Former Arista Records executive Drew Dixon has accused Reid of assaulting her twice in 2001.