Diddy hit with new sex abuse lawsuit, denied bail for third time

The latest sex abuse lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs has come just as he was denied bail this week on federal charges that led to his arrest in September.

First reported by Deadline, the rapper-turned-mogul has been accused of beating Bryana “Bana” Bongolan and dangling her over the balcony of a 17-story high-rise in Los Angeles in 2016. She is seeking some $10M in damages for emotional distress, according to a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday by attorney James R. Nikraftar.

The apartment in question belonged to Cassie Ventura, Diddy’s ex-partner who sued him for rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse in November 2023. The Catholic-raised businessman settled the very next day, precipitating an avalanche of subsequent lawsuits from multiple alleged victims, the latest being Bongolan.

“His outrageous and abhorrent conduct violated Ms. Bongolan’s fundamental dignity, bodily autonomy, and sense of safety,” reads her filing.

“This event was the culmination of a series of threats, intimidation, and violence that colored many of Ms. Bongolan’s interactions with Mr. Combs from the day she met him.”

More than two-dozen civil lawsuits are currently active against the 55-year-old Bad Boy Records executive. Bongolan’s is one of only a few filed in California, where one of Diddy’s homes was raided by federal investigators in March.

Bongolan, a fashion designer, was a former associate of both Diddy and Ventura, whom Bongolan says was abused by the rapper in her presence on multiple occasions. After years of rumors, a security video released in May depicted Diddy physically assaulting the award-winning singer and actress in a Los Angeles hotel—the same year he allegedly made an attempt on Bongolan’s life.

“The only purpose of dangling someone over a balcony is to actually kill them or to intentionally terrorize them and rob them of any concept of dominion over their own bodily autonomy and safety,” reads Bongolan’s lawsuit. “[She] refuses to allow this fear to control the rest of her life and brings this action to demand that Mr. Combs takes responsibility for the trauma he intentionally and maliciously” inflicted.”

Diddy, who has lost various business partnerships due to his ongoing legal troubles, was arrested by federal agents on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges in September at a Manhattan hotel. He is incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has repeatedly—and unsuccessfully—requested bail.

In mid-November, prosecutors alleged that Diddy has attempted to contact potential witnesses in his federal case, waging an influence campaign as well as engaging in blackmail. The same day that Bongolan filed her case in California, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that Diddy cannot be trusted as a free man.

“The Court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” wrote Subramanian.

Barring any unexpected developments, Diddy’s trial is set to begin on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York, and could result in a sentence from 15 years to life in prison.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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