Diddy Trial Testimony Could Pull Him Back Into King Combs Assault Lawsuit

Testimony from Diddy’s federal criminal trial is now being used in an effort to pull him back into a civil lawsuit accusing his son, Christian “King” Combs, of sexual assault. Grace O’Marcaigh’s attorneys have revised their case after a judge previously dismissed Sean Combs for lack of personal jurisdiction in California. Their new argument is that evidence aired during his criminal trial helps establish the connection to the state that the original complaint was missing.

O’Marcaigh originally sued both men over an alleged December 2022 encounter aboard a yacht where she was working as a steward. She claims Christian cornered her in the vessel’s cinema after earlier making unwanted advances and attempted to force her to perform oral sex. Christian has denied wrongdoing. The lawsuit also sought to hold his father responsible, arguing that Diddy chartered the yacht and controlled the environment onboard.

That portion of the case hit a roadblock when the court found that O’Marcaigh had not established sufficient connection between Diddy and California to keep him as a defendant. Her attorneys were allowed to amend the complaint, and the new filing takes a different approach. According to court documents reviewed by AllHipHop, they allege the yacht was booked through Janice Combs Music Holdings, a company based in West Hollywood. They further claim Combs was serving as CEO when the charter was arranged in November 2022.

The amended complaint also reaches into evidence developed during Diddy’s 2025 criminal trial. Importantly, Diddy himself did not testify in that case. O’Marcaigh’s lawyers are instead citing sworn testimony from former employees who described the amount of control Combs exercised over his staff and the preparation of private gatherings known as “Wild King Nights.”

Former assistant Brendan Paul, for example, testified that staff members were expected to prepare rooms for those encounters and handle related supplies. He also described an operation in which assistants were expected to anticipate Combs’ needs and remain available while traveling. O’Marcaigh’s attorneys now want to use testimony of that kind to support their contention that Combs maintained close control over his surroundings even when away from home.

That does not establish what happened to O’Marcaigh aboard the yacht. Her lawyers are using the testimony for a narrower purpose at this stage, to show why a California court can exercise jurisdiction over Diddy and why he should remain in the lawsuit. Whether the new allegations are sufficient to overcome the earlier dismissal remains for the judge to decide.

Diddy has been fighting that effort from the opposite direction. In July, his attorneys sought sanctions against O’Marcaigh and her legal team, arguing that the amended complaint simply repackaged arguments the court had already rejected. Her attorneys responded that the judge expressly authorized them to amend and that the new allegations provide additional facts linking Combs to California.

Christian remains a defendant in O’Marcaigh’s case regardless of the jurisdiction fight surrounding his father. A September 4 hearing before a judge is expected to address whether Diddy can remain in the lawsuit under the amended allegations.