by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack SDNY COURTHOUSE, Oct 2 – In May 2024 Crystal McKinney sued Sean Combs for sexual assault under the NYC Gender Motivated Violence in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit recounts Combs inviting McKinney to Cipriani Downtown - in 2003 - then to his studio on West 44th Street where he drugged and assaulted her, according to the complaint. On September 24, 2024, after Combs' arrest and detention in the MDC, Thalia Graves sued Combs and others alleging a 2001 rape, complaint on Patreon here. On September 26 in Jane Doe v. Combs, plaintiff's counsel filed an affidavit by NYS Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal initially filed in a case against Leon Black, for the proposition that the state statute he sponsored, NYS CVA, was not intended to preempt the NYC law Doe is suing under. On September 30, Judge Clarke denied Combs' motions as moot: "ORDER In light of Plaintiff's Amended Complaint and Defendants' renewed motion to dismiss, ECF No. [55], the motion to dismiss at ECF No. [41] and the motion for judgment on the pleadings at ECF No. [45] are hereby DENIED as moot. (ORDERED by Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke)(Text Only Order)." Jump cut to September 4, 2025 - Jane Doe was required to list her name, Anna Kane, and now seeks to proceed to discovery including as to "third assailant." The lawyers for Combs, in the MDC facing October 3 sentencing, argued for a stay, saying the evidence is cold. Judge Clarke said she will rule afterward. On September 8 she ruled "Plaintiff’s counsel is directed to file a letter (not to exceed 1,500 words) filing on Patreon here On September 16, from Kane's lawyers, a proposal - Filing on Patreon here On October 2 Judge Clarke ruled: "the Court agrees with Defendants that Plaintiff's "limited proposal" is limited in name only, and does not reflect a reasonably tailored approach to discovery at this time. The proposal is therefore rejected. Instead, with the goal of giving Plaintiff an opportunity to move forward with her case, while also minimizing burden to the parties, the Court will permit written discovery only as to the following topics (limited to a time frame to be agreed upon by the parties): Identities of executives and employees of Bad Boy Records; Identities of individuals with whom Defendant Pierre travelled to Michigan, if any; Identities of Plaintiff's colleagues, friends, or associates present at the Detroit lounge as alleged in the complaint; Any information regarding the location, name, or ownership of the Detroit lounge; Defendants' ownership of private jets and use of car services in the Detroit and Teterboro areas, and related logs, receipts, or manifests; and Any other topics mutually agreed upon by the parties. The aforementioned discovery shall be completed by no later than January 30, 2026. The parties shall submit a joint status letter to the Court by February 6, 2026, with any proposed next steps in this action, including whether the parties are amenable to referral for mediation or a settlement conference. The Clerk of Court is respectfully directed to terminate ECF No. 85. SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke on 10/2/2025)." More details on X for Subscribers here and Substack here Inner City Press is covering the Combs cases. These include McKinney v. Combs, et al., 1:24-cv-3931 (Buchwald) and this one, Doe v. Combs, 23-cv-10628 (Clarke) *** Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.  Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com |
