One lawsuit has received particular attention because it alleges that other celebrities were implicated in Mr. Combs’ alleged crimes.
The case, filed in New York last October, concerns a 13-year-old boy who claims he felt disoriented and dizzy after drinking alcohol at Mr Combs’ party.
Soon after, she claimed the man, originally known as ‘Celebrity A’, took off his clothes and raped her while Mr Combs and a woman called ‘Celebrity B’ watched.
On Sunday, the plaintiffs updated their lawsuit to confirm that the first celebrity to do so was rap legend Jay-Z.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, called the claims “stupid” in an extensive statement and accused Buzbee of trying to blackmail him by threatening to reveal his name.
He added: “My heart and support goes out to the real victims of the world who have to watch how their life stories are dressed up as costumes for profit by ambulance chasers in cheap suits.”
The musician previously filed an anonymous lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing Buzbee of trying to “shamefully” rob him.
Mr. Buzbee fired back, calling the “frivolous” lawsuit a “last-ditch attempt” to keep Mr. Carter’s name from becoming public.
“I am a United States Marine,” he wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “I will not be silenced or intimidated. Neither should my clients.”
Mr Combs’ legal team also denied the claims and said the extortion charges against Mr Buzbee “expose his barrage of lawsuits… for what they are: extracting money from celebrities who fear their lies are being spread.” “This is a shameless publicity stunt designed to spread lies about Mr Combs.”
The back-and-forth has led to speculation that more high-profile music industry figures will be embroiled in the upcoming trial.
Mr Buzbee told the BBC that such an outcome was “very likely”.
“If you just look at the behavior that’s being charged, it’s pretty common. It’s created a culture where anything goes, a party culture,” he says.
“There was a general feeling that he (Mr Combs) was above the law and could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with whom he wanted.”
Speculation is rife on social media linking people to Mr Combs’ alleged crimes, based on photos from showbiz parties from the 1990s and 2000s.
Needless to say, there is no evidence to support these claims.
There were also widely discredited fakes, including a biography purportedly written by Mr Combs’ late partner Kim Porter. And then there’s the viral song that Justin Bieber reportedly sang: “I Lost My Mind at Diddy’s Party.” The latter turned out to be a fake created by AI.
Mr Combs’ lawyers argued that the number of “false and outrageous” claims made by “government agents, plaintiffs’ lawyers and others with questionable motives” could “be perceived as biasing potential jurors”.
Mr. Buzbee disagrees.
“Obviously people who come into court as jurors are not coming in a vacuum,” he told the BBC.
“They read the media and know what’s going on, but I think most people are willing to say, ‘Let’s judge the merits of this argument. What’s the evidence and what’s the defense?'”
