By end of the week, a jury is expected to be seated in the federal sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. It’s a stunning turn of events for the once kingmaker in music, a man who reached billionaire status as a rapper, producer and entrepreneur.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. Regardless of the outcome, Combs’ legal troubles won’t end with his criminal trial. He’s facing more than 60 civil lawsuits in which he is accused of sexual assault or other wrongdoing.
Combs has denied all the allegations.
Attorney Andrew Van Arsdale, who represents 37 individuals who have already filed civil claims of sexual assault against Combs, told CNN in an exclusive interview that he has more than 400 new potential civil claims.
The attorney said he intends to file civil claims against Combs after his criminal trial, largely because his clients are fearful of possible retaliation if the embattled music industry vet walks free.
“From my clients’ perspective, the reason that they were so hesitant to come forward for so long in many cases was because of the power that this individual wielded and the threats to their professional opportunities that they felt he could create,” Van Arsdale said. “I do think there’s an idea that, ‘Oh my gosh, what if, what if he isn’t found guilty of these charges, right? What if he’s back on the streets in two months? What would have happened to me if I had made these allegations?”
“I hear about it every day,” he added. “Our clients are still scared.”
An ‘influx of phone calls’
Van Arsdale operates a call center through his company, Reciprocity Industries, which is based in Billings, Montana. The company was established in 2008, long before allegations began mounting against Combs. For years, the center has helped sift through callers’ grievances across legal issues ranging from natural disaster recovery to sexual assault claims, assisting law firms with processing complaints for litigation and by marketing the hotline as an avenue through which firms can obtain potential clients. According to the company’s website, Reciprocity employs more than 150 legal intake professionals and the company’s services have been retained by over 500 law firms in the United States.
Van Arsdale has litigated claims of sexual abuse against the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic church. His law firm, AVA Law Group, represents dozens of alleged victims of Combs who were discovered through his Reciprocity call center, which the New York Times recently reported was the “central collection point” for sexual assault allegations against Combs.
Records of incoming calls show Reciprocity Industries has received nearly 27,000 calls related to Combs, Van Arsdale said. After dismissing prank calls and unrelated or unreliable inquiries, his company estimates roughly 15,000 calls included claims of mistreatment by Combs. Through what he described as a rigorous vetting process, Van Arsdale said he believes there are more than 400 new, potential civil cases.
At a press conference in October, his call center’s 1-800 number was emblazoned behind Van Arsdale and his co-counsel, Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who has become a primary target of Combs’ defense.
Combs’ lawyers have called attorneys like Van Arsdale “ambulance chasers.” Van Arsdale defends his company’s 1-800 advertising as a means for alleged victims to access the justice system.
“Yes, we need a big system in order to handle the influx of phone calls, and yes, we need very serious vetting in order to make sure we’re bringing the claims that need to be handled in the civil court of law forward, but that is what this process is,” Van Arsdale said. “And they can no longer hide behind the victim shaming, even though they continue to try to do that.”
CNN has reached out to Combs’ team for comment regarding Van Arsdale’s claim that he is working on hundreds of additional potential civil suits. Previously, Combs’ lawyers told CNN that he has “never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”
“No number of lawsuits, sensationalized allegations, or media theatrics will change that reality,” they added in a statement at the time.
Seeking ‘healing’ and ‘accountability’
It’s not just Van Arsdale who is going up against Combs. At least a dozen attorneys are representing plaintiffs who have filed civil claims against Combs. The majority of the accusers’ claims are unrelated, spanning across decades with alleged incidents occurring at various locations across different states.
Out of the 60-plus civil cases already filed against Combs, two have been withdrawn – one, filed by an anonymous Jane Doe who declined a court order to reveal her identity, and another against Combs and Jay-Z, which was voluntarily withdrawn by the Jane Doe after Jay-Z adamantly denied her claims and a number of inconsistencies surfaced with her account.
Combs’ team has seized on inconsistencies in at least two of Van Arsdale’s clients’ accounts: the Jane Doe who accused Combs and Jay-Z, and an anonymous male accuser who gave details in a December 2024 interview with CNN that didn’t match his lawsuit, including the year he alleges he was drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs at one of his White Parties.
Van Arsdale said the inconsistencies in John Doe’s story were due to a clerical error in filing. After CNN’s interview with John Doe, his firm refiled an amended complaint.
Though the civil and criminal cases are separate, Van Arsdale said some of his clients have cooperated with federal authorities in the Combs criminal case and could be called to testify during his trial.
“This is an opportunity they maybe thought they’d never had in the fact that they see the system working,” he said.
Van Arsdale said he is seeking justice for his clients regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial.
“My clients will be ecstatic if and when he’s convicted, guilty and behind bars,” he said. “But the next step in their healing process is the accountability for what happened to them.”
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