Diddy earned another victory on the legal front, Tuesday, when New York Judge Leslie A. Stroth dismissed some of the allegations in April Lampros' lawsuit against the Bad Boy mogul. She ruled that the statute of limitations has expired for her claim that he allegedly forced her to have sex in the 1990s, according to Billboard.
Lampros’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, filed the lawsuit while citing New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence Act to circumvent the traditional statute of limitations. Stroth, however, referenced a recent decision of the appellate court which shortened the window of applicable cases to December 19, 2000, and beyond.
Lampros will still be pursuing the case, however, further accusing Diddy of allegedly forcibly kissing and groping her in the early 2000s, although she can't recall the exact date. “To the extent that there is a question as to conduct occurring in the year 2000, such are not dismissed at this time, as further discovery is needed to determine the exact date of the alleged incidents,” Stroth said.
In response to the ruling, Diddy's legal team said the move "significantly" narrows Lampros' allegations. “Importantly, this ruling was made at the pleading stage, and no evidence on the surviving claim has been submitted to the court,” they said. “Mr. Combs has not yet had an opportunity to contest those false allegations, and the court’s decision thus does not address their truth.”
Diddy The Notorious B.I.G. Lawsuit
Blackburn, on the other hand, is fully focusing on moving forward with the case. “I sent Sean Combs’ counsel notice that I intend to depose Sean Combs within 60 days, and I will be serving discovery demands this evening," he told Billboard.
Despite the positive news for Diddy, it's far from the only civil lawsuit he's facing. Just this week, another anonymous plaintiff came forward to accuse him of allegedly masturbating into a shirt previously worn by The Notorious B.I.G. and throwing it on him during an encounter in Los Angeles in 2020.
In a statement provided to TMZ, Diddy's lawyers shut down the allegation. They wrote: "Mr. Combs’s trial and acquittal on trafficking and RICO charges prove what we have been saying all along: Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone. That people continue to broadcast and file false accusations -- no matter how heinous and uncorroborated -- is unfortunate, but Mr. Combs will not back down. He will fight for as long as necessary to win his full vindication."
