Jodeci’s DeVante Swing is the latest celebrity caught up in the allegations surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs after he was named in a lawsuit against the incarcerated mogul and Aaron Hall.
Back in November, Liza Gardner filed a lawsuit alleging Diddy and Aaron Hall took turns assaulting her at Hall’s apartment in the early 1990s. She claimed she was just 16 years old when the alleged attack took place.
Gardener alleged she was “coerced into having sex with Combs,” before “Hall barged into the room, pinned her down and forced [Gardner] to have sex with him.” She also claims Diddy turned violent days after the alleged assaults.
In an amended complaint, Gardner named DeVante Swing as a new co-defendant in the suit, Rolling Stone reports. Gardener claims that the Jodeci singer was not only present at Hall’s home during the attack but in the room at the time.
“Unbeknownst to Ms. Gardner at the time, Defendant Swing was in the room when this assault took place and did not take any steps to prevent this abuse from occurring,” the amended lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone states.
Earlier this year, Gardener’s friend filed a statement claiming she witnessed Swing “watching whatever Puffy was doing to Liza.”
Further, Gardener states she had traveled to New York with Swing and a group of friends and was staying with the singer. She claimed he was her “co-guardian at the time” and “had a duty to protect the child as her parents entrusted him with her safety.”
The complaint alleges Swing “trafficked and or coerced the child [to] travel across state lines from North Carolina to New York and New Jersey with the hidden intention of providing the child with alcohol, and marijuana and prostituting the child to his A&R Combs.”
Diddy Claims Lawsuit “Nothing But A Money Grab”
Swing is yet to respond to the allegations. When Gardener filed her lawsuit last November, a spokesperson for Diddy denied the claims in a statement to AllHipHop.
“These are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute. This is nothing but a money grab,” the rep stated. “Because of Mr. Combs’ fame and success, he is an easy target for anonymous accusers who lie without conscience or consequence for financial benefit.”