Photo Credit: Crystal McKinney for MTV
Another Diddy accuser has dropped Universal Music Group (UMG) from a sexual assault lawsuit against the embattled mogul.
The development just recently emerged in a joint filing from the plaintiff’s counsel and the major label’s legal team. As most know, the former Revolt owner Diddy is grappling with a federal investigation and multiple allegations of wrongdoing (including sexual assault, attempted murder, and more) across several complaints.
One of those complaints was submitted in late May by model Crystal McKinney, who in the initial action claimed Diddy had drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2003. The former Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sacks client allegedly promised to advance McKinney’s career before inviting her to his studio.
And at this New York City studio, the model was allegedly provided with alcohol as well as marijuana laced “with a narcotic or other intoxicating substance.” The filing party eventually became “very intoxicated” and was then sexually assaulted by Diddy, per the legal text, which describes in detail the “lifelong harm” inflicted on McKinney by the alleged episode.
Besides Diddy, the lawsuit named as defendants Bad Boy Records and Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John Clothing, and Universal Music.
As to the record label’s purported role in the alleged sexual assault, the plaintiff maintained UMG had “enabled” Diddy’s “commission of the crimes of violence motivated by gender” and was therefore “liable under the NYC Victims of Gender-Motivated Protection Act.”
Additionally, among different things, UMG and others allegedly “failed to timely and properly educate, train, supervise, and/or monitor their agents or employees regarding policies and procedures that should be followed when sexual abuse of a child is suspected or observed,” according to the suit.
Of course, attempting to hold entertainment businesses (and particularly music companies) liable for the alleged misconduct of their talent is a decidedly slippery slope. And one needn’t stretch the imagination to see how that slippery slope could affect all manner of entities and execs.
At least in this courtroom confrontation, however, Universal Music is officially off the hook. Per the aforementioned joint dismissal notice, the case has been dropped against the major label (not Diddy and the other defendants) “with prejudice and without costs.”
The partial dismissal has arrived after Grainge, UMG, and its Motown subsidiary were dropped from a separate sexual assault and sex trafficking complaint, filed this time by Rodney Jones and featuring unredacted sensitive information about the defendants to boot.
Though it perhaps goes without saying, these now-former defendants are undoubtedly far from thrilled about being roped into the overarching controversy. Meanwhile, to wrap by pointing out another obvious-but-important point, Diddy is fending off several distinct sexual assault cases, one of which was set in motion earlier this month with Penske Media named as a defendant as well.
Plus, the estate of Tupac Shakur is reportedly considering suing Diddy over claims that he played a part in Tupac’s murder.
