The music producer who sued Sean "Diddy" Combs for sexual assault and other crimes last month has added another public figure to his lawsuit: Cuba Gooding Jr.
Though Gooding's name was mentioned in the February filing, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones officially amended his federal complaint to add the actor as a co-defendant Monday — the same day federal agents raided two of Combs' homes, reportedly as part of a sex-trafficking investigation.
It's not clear whether the federal investigation has a direct connection to Jones' suit, which alleged sex trafficking as one crime against Combs. Other allegations included that Combs subjected Jones, who worked on the rapper's most recent album, to "constant unsolicited" groping and that he tried to groom the producer into engaging in sexual acts with others, including Gooding.
In the complaint, Jones alleges Combs suggested Gooding should "get to know" Jones better and then left them alone on his yacht in January 2023. Then, Jones claims, Gooding began sexually assaulting and harassing him.
Jones states in his lawsuit he has video evidence of Gooding "touching, groping and fondling his legs, his upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks and his shoulders." And despite rejecting his advances, Jones claims Gooding didn't stop until he was forcibly pushed away.
Gooding has not commented on the allegations made in Jones' suit, which state Combs had a duty to protect Jones from the harm Gooding caused.
Diddy accused of sex trafficking, assault, RICO crimes in vast lawsuit
A fifth lawsuit accusing Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexual assault also alleges he was enabled by a RICO enterprise used to acquire sex workers and drugs.
This isn't the first time Gooding has been named in a sexual assault lawsuit. In April 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City bar in 2018 — a plea that allowed him to avoid jail time. And in 2023, the actor settled a lawsuit a woman brought against him in 2020, accusing him of raping her in his hotel room in 2013.
As for Combs, this is the fifth lawsuit since November that has alleged sexual crimes, among others. In November, Combs' longtime girlfriend Cassie sued him for rape and physical abuse, though the case was settled soon after. Later that month, two women filed similar suits on the same day, both claiming Diddy sexually assaulted them. Then in December, a Jane Doe sued claiming Diddy and two others gang-raped her when she was 17.
A spokesperson for Diddy said the claims of the two women who sued after Cassie were "fabricated" and an exploitation of the Adult Survivors Act, which allowed sexual assault survivors to file claims outside of the regular statute of limitations until November of last year.
Then in an Instagram post in December, Diddy again denied the allegations, writing: "Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth."
In a statement to Billboard last month, Combs' attorney said Jones' suit was "nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."
"We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies," the statement read.
