A New York judge has partially dismissed claims in a civil lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, prompting the embattled mogul’s legal team to declare a win amid his ongoing legal troubles.
On July 8, New York State Supreme Court Justice Leslie Stroh ruled in favor of Combs’ motion to limit the scope of the lawsuit filed by April Lampros, a former Fashion Institute of Technology student who accused Combs of repeated sexual assaults between 1995 and 2001. The judge agreed to dismiss any claims based on incidents that allegedly occurred before December 19, 2000—the date when New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA) took effect.
Lampros had accused Combs of four separate sexual assaults spanning from 1995 to 2001, including an incident where she claims Combs forced her and the late Kim Porter, his then-girlfriend, to take ecstasy before allegedly raping her. Justice Stroh’s ruling effectively removes three of the four incidents from legal consideration under the GMVA.
Combs’ attorneys had previously filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit entirely, calling Lampros’ claims “false,” “deficient,” and “baseless,” while pointing to the more than 20-year gap since the alleged events. The court rejected that broader motion but sided with Combs’ team in excluding the time-barred claims.
In a statement following the decision, Combs’ legal team said the ruling confirms that their motion to dismiss “largely prevails,” noting that Combs “has not yet had an opportunity to contest those false allegations, and the Court’s decision thus does not address their truth.”
Despite the partial dismissal, Lampros’ attorney Tyrone Blackburn expressed confidence in the case moving forward.
“The sole claim against Sean Combs is now the GMVA claim,” Blackburn said. He added that he will depose Combs within two months and begin formal discovery shortly, declaring, “It is full steam ahead — playtime is over.”
Lampros had earlier voluntarily dismissed three causes of action—battery, sexual assault, and negligent infliction of emotional distress—as well as all claims against corporate defendants including Bad Boy Records and Sony Music’s Arista Records.
The legal development in state court comes just days after Combs’ federal criminal trial ended with a split verdict. On July 2, a Manhattan jury found Combs guilty of two counts related to the transportation of individuals to engage in prostitution, while acquitting him on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Despite the acquittals on the most severe counts, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian denied bail, citing Combs’ documented history of domestic violence.
Combs, 55, now awaits sentencing on October 3 and faces up to 20 years in federal prison, though sentencing guidelines may result in a significantly reduced term. Prosecutors estimate his potential sentence to range from 51 to 63 months, while the defense maintains it should not exceed two years.
To date, Combs has denied all wrongdoing in connection with at least 70 lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, many dating back to the 1990s.
