A California man who sued Sean "Diddy" Combs for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting him in 2015 has been dealt a legal setback.
New York County Supreme Court Judge Leslie A. Stroth on Aug. 26 issued a ruling granting Combs' legal team's requests to dismiss John Doe's Feb. 3 complaint. The allegations are "untimely under New York law," Stroth wrote in the ruling, which was obtained by USA TODAY on Aug. 27.
The New York State law "in effect at the time of the alleged conduct in 2015 provided a five-year statute of limitations," Stroth's ruling said. "Although the statute was later amended in 2019 to extend the period to 20 years, Courts have held that (Civil Practice Law & Rules § 213-c) is not retroactive."
Doe's lawyer, Tony Buzbee, said this is not the end of the line for his client.
"These cases can be filed in California or New York. New York has a savings statute but the New York court says it doesn’t apply," Buzbee said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We will thus sue in California. This is procedural issue. Not a dispositive one. Any suggestion that this is some kind of victory for Combs is ignorant."
