Sara Rivers of Making the Band fame wants her sexual harassment allegations against Diddy to have their day in court.
On Thursday (August 14), a judge dismissed 21 of 22 counts with prejudice of a $60 million lawsuit filed by Rivers, meaning that she cannot refile them.
The R&B singer and podcaster, formerly a member of Bad Boy Entertainment group Da Band, sued the music mogul in January, accusing him of sexual harassment, assault, and overseeing “inhumane” work conditions. In one instance, Rivers accused Diddy of groping her breast while both were in a hallway.
As Judge Rakoff decides whether to dismiss Count 15 with or without prejudice, the final count, which pertains to the Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, has been put on hold.
The day after the counts were dismissed, Rivers addressed the matter on Instagram, saying that the “most serious and personal claim” of sexual assault “remains very much alive.”
“This fight was never about headlines,” she said. “It’s about truth, accountability and justice for me and for every other survivor that has been told they should just give up.”
Rivers insisted that she “will not be silenced” or “intimidated” by the music mogul before referring to his alleged excessive baby oil usage.
“And don’t think because y’all got all that unlimited amount of baby oil that y’all gon’ slide through this,” Rivers said, concluding by mentioning those who’ve tried to “defame” her with “false stories.”
Large amounts of baby oil were seized from Diddy’s Miami and Los Angeles homes during a Homeland Security raid last year. In testimonies from his racketeering and sex trafficking trial, Diddy’s accusers claimed that he was insistent on the overindulgence of baby oil during ‘freak-offs,’ where he would allegedly solicit male sex workers to have intercourse with his female lovers.
Baby oil became a running gag of the trial, with court attendees celebrating Diddy’s not guilty verdict on two counts by showering each other with baby oil outside the courthouse.
As for Rivers’ lawsuit, which also named MTV, Universal Music, Diddy’s mother Janice, and his former assistant Fonzworth Bentley, a rep for the record producer called the allegations “meritless, time-barred, and legally deficient.”
“The Court agreed, finding no legal basis to allow them to proceed. We are pleased the Court carefully analyzed and swiftly dismissed these baseless claims,” the statement read.
