Thalia Graves, the most recent woman to file a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs for allegedly raping her in 2001, shared the ongoing trauma she endures during an emotional press conference on Tuesday.
“It’s a pain that reaches into your very core of who you are,” the accuser said while crying during the press conference, which was held by her attorney, Gloria Allred, in Los Angeles.
Graves, dressed in a white blouse, black skirt, and hoop earrings, wiped her tears as she explained how the “shame” and “guilt” she still carries affects her ability to “function properly.”
She expressed that she often blames herself for what allegedly occurred in 2001, when Combs and his then-head of security, Joseph Sherman, sexually assaulted her at a Bad Boy Records studio in New York City, as detailed in her recently filed lawsuit.
Allred informed the press that Combs and his co-defendant allegedly recorded their assault on Graves without her consent and later sold it “as pornography.”
The well-known lawyer, who frequently represents victims of sexual abuse, clarified that while she cannot comment on her client's “degree of consciousness” during the alleged rape, Graves “would never have consented to the video taping and did not consent.”
The lawsuit claims that Combs gave Graves a drink that was “likely laced with a drug that eventually caused her briefly to lose consciousness.”
Allred added during the press conference, “[She] did not authorize the video taping in the same way that she alleges she would have never consented to being victimized in the way that she was.”
Graves also spoke about how the alleged incident negatively affected her life, including creating difficulties in her “selection of men and relationships.”
Graves explained that at the time of the alleged rape, she was going through a divorce, which left her without the proper support system.
As a result, she now deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ