Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser's lawyers ask to withdraw over 'fundamental disagreement'
A woman who sued Sean "Diddy" Combs for allegedly sexually assaulting and trafficking her at his Labor Day "white parties" almost two decades ago might lose her legal representation.
Adria English's attorneys, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd and Steven A. Metcalf, on Wednesday requested to withdraw as her legal counsel in a court filing obtained by USA TODAY. They cite "a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship" and "irreconcilable differences" as the basis for parting ways with their client.
"As a result of a fundamental disagreement between" the attorneys and English "regarding almost every aspect of the litigation, including settlement demands, causes of actions in the pleadings," as well as English's alleged "undermining behavior and questionable antics," the attorneys say "an irreconcilable conflict and tension has developed," the motion reads.
The withdrawal is a result of English allegedly breaching a Sept. 24 agreement they entered into due to her "tone and lack of respect" and "continued behavior and self-destructive activities," the attorneys claim.
The lawyers, in the filing, ask to speak with the judge in a private conference about the specifics of their request and note English has sought out new representation. They also mention Combs' team has not been served with the complaint, which was initially filed July 3 and re-filed Sept. 17.
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USA TODAY has reached out to Mitchell-Kidd and English for comment.
Mitchell-Kidd told The New York Times on Thursday that she "never lost faith in her case, just in her," adding, "Her case is great. My issue was with her undermining my work and going behind my back doing things incongruent to advancing her case." English also told the Times she clashed with Mitchell-Kidd on issues including the attorney telling her not to speak with the media.
In a statement shared with USA TODAY, a spokesperson for Combs claimed English made "completely fabricated statements."
"In papers filed with the court today, her former attorneys cited Ms. English’s 'questionable antics' and 'undermining behavior.' As we’ve said from the start, anyone can file a lawsuit without proof — and this case is a clear example of that," the statement continues. "Adria English escalated things by filing false police reports and making baseless claims, using high-profile events as a backdrop to harm innocent people. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted, or sex trafficked anyone."
Combs, who was arrested on Sept. 16 and arraigned on sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges the following day, has been incarcerated in the Special Housing Unit at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He's maintained his innocence amid an avalanche of civil lawsuits over the past year and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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The allegations in Adria English's lawsuit
In her 114-page lawsuit filed in U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York, English alleged she was sex trafficked by Combs and his associates between 2004 and 2009 in New York and Florida.
A New York go-go dancer at the time, English claimed she agreed to work as "entertainment" at Combs' "white parties" in the Hamptons and Miami to help her boyfriend secure modeling work with Combs' fashion brand Sean John. She alleged she was "forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol and consume illicit narcotics" including ecstasy and eventually was coerced into having sexual intercourse with guests.
English also accused Combs of helping her break into the music industry to "silence" her and "keep her in his sex trafficking organization" as well as threatening to harm or blackball those who "did not comply with his demands."
After nearly a dozen civil lawsuits over the past year accused Combs of sexually assaulting and trafficking alleged victims, last month federal prosecutors announced a bombshell federal grand jury indictment, that revealed an extensive and ongoing federal investigation into the hip-hop icon.
Investigators say the 54-year-old elaborately schemed to use his finances and status in the entertainment industry to "fulfill his sexual desires" in a "recurrent and widely known" pattern of abuse.
Investigators have taken in more than 90 cellphones, laptops, cloud storage accounts as well as at least 30 storage devices. They issued more than 300 grand jury subpoenas to obtain this evidence from communications providers, tech and social media companies, financial institutions and Combs' companies.
Prosecutors say they have "dozens" of videos depicting Combs' so-called "freak offs" – sometimes dayslong sex performances between sex workers and people he allegedly coerced into participating through narcotics and intimidation – that corroborate witness testimony.