Getty ImagesSean "Diddy" Combs is one of the most successful musicians in hip-hopTwo years ago, rap musician and mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs threw a lavish 53rd birthday party at his $61m mansion in Beverly Hills.
A host of stars lined up to toast his career, with a guest list that included Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Mary J Blige, Kehlani, Tinashe, Chris Brown and Machine Gun Kelly.
The party coincided with his 30th year in the music industry – three decades in which he formed his own entertainment empire and changed the sound of hip-hop, both as an artist and a producer for the likes of Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and The Notorious B.I.G.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: Who is the US rapper accused of sex trafficking?Fast-forward to 2024, and his career is on the ropes.
In a case filed in New York, the star has been accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes through the use of firearms and threats of violence.
The same Los Angeles mansion that hosted his birthday party was raided by police in March. There, officers seized supplies that they say were intended for use in orgies known as "freak offs", including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
Mr Combs has denied all the charges, entering a not guilty plea on Tuesday, 17 September.
The court case comes after a year in which the musician has faced lawsuits from a number of women.
Here is how the allegations against Mr Combs have stacked up.
16 November 2023: Cassie's lawsuit
Getty ImagesCassie Ventura and Sean Combs were in an on-off relationship from 2007 to 2018Casandra Ventura, a singer and model known as Cassie, was signed to Mr Combs' record label and dated him for more than a decade.
But in a civil lawsuit, she said the mogul had used his position of power to "set the groundwork" for a "manipulative and coercive romantic and sexual relationship".
Her lawsuit included graphic descriptions of violent abuse, alleging that Mr Combs "regularly beat and kicked Ms Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises, and blood".
She described parties known as "freak offs" – drug-fuelled, days-long sexual performances – which Mr Combs allegedly coerced women into, and filmed for his own pleasure.
Ms Ventura also accused the musician of sexual abuse and rape, and claimed that many of these incidents were witnessed by his "tremendously loyal network" who "were not willing to do anything meaningful" to stop the violence.
The lawsuit also alleged that Mr Combs destroyed a car belonging to US rapper Kid Cudi, to dissuade him from dating her.
Mr Combs strenuously denied the allegations and accused Ms Ventura of extortion.
They settled the case for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed in New York, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence.
November to December 2023: More lawsuits allege sexual assaultIn the weeks after settling Cassie's lawsuit, Mr Combs was accused of sexual assault dating back to 1991 by multiple women.
One lawsuit was filed anonymously by a woman who claimed Mr Combs and another man had coerced her into sex.
In a second, Joi Dickerson-Neal accused the star of drugging and sexually assaulting her when she was a college student in 1991. She also claimed he filmed the attack and showed it to other people without her consent.
A third woman, Liza Gardner, filed court papers accusing Mr Combs and another man of raping her and her friend more than 30 years ago, when she was 16.
Ms Gardner also alleged that Mr Combs had turned violent days after the attack, choking her so hard that she passed out.
In the lawsuit, she said Mr Combs had become irate while trying to track down her friend, because he was worried she would inform "the girl he was with at the time".
The lawsuits all came shortly before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed people who said they had been sexually abused to file claims, even after the statute of limitations had expired.
Mr Combs denied all the allegations, and his spokesperson called the lawsuits a "money grab".
December 2023: Underage sex claim Another woman sued in December, claiming she was "sex trafficked" and "gang raped" by Mr Combs, former Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre and another man in 2003, when she was 17.
In court papers, the woman, known only as Jane Doe, alleged she was given "copious amounts of drugs and alcohol" before the attack and was left in so much pain that she could barely stand or remember how she got home.
In response, Mr Combs said he "did not do any of the awful things being alleged", while Mr Pierre said the "disgusting allegations" were "false and a desperate attempt for financial gain".
Diddy's denial
Getty ImagesOn 6 December, Mr Combs responded to the flurry of lawsuits with a statement on his Instagram page.
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH," he wrote. "For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.
"Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. 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."
