(This story was updated to add new information and a photo.)
A woman is suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for an alleged sexual assault that took place in the early 2000s, as the embattled hip-hop mogul remains in federal custody for a sex trafficking indictment.
Thalia Graves filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY. Graves, who says she was dating one of Combs’ employees at the time, alleges Combs and his then-bodyguard, Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman, “viciously raped her” at the Bad Boy Records studio in New York City around the summer of 2001.
The woman is suing Combs and Sherman on charges of gender-motivated violence and violating New York law by allegedly recording and sharing footage of her assault.
Aside from Combs and Sherman, several of Combs’ companies, including Bad Boy Records, are named in Graves’ 26-page complaint.
USA TODAY has reached out to Combs’ representatives for comment.
Combs, who was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation and a pair of federal raids, was arrested on Sept. 16 and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was ordered to remain in federal custody after his appeals for bail were denied twice.
Diddy accuser Thalia Graves speaks out: ‘I’m glad that he is locked up’
Graves held a press conference with her lawyer, famed attorney Gloria Allred, on Tuesday following her lawsuit. An emotional Graves appeared to gain her compose before making her statement.
“The internal pain after being sexually assaulted has been incredibly deep and hard to put into words,” Graves said while crying. “It goes beyond just physical harm caused by and during the assault.”
She continued: “It’s a pain that reaches into the very core of who you are and leaves emotional scars that may never fully heal.”
The press conference marked one of the first public statements from an alleged victim of Combs.
“Some of the hardest parts of this pain are the shame and guilt I have experienced that plays a negative part in my day-to-day ability to function properly,” she added. “Being blamed, questioned and threatened has often made me feel worthless, isolated and sometimes responsible for what happened to me.”
