Sara Rivers, a former member of Diddy’s Making the Band, has filed a lawsuit against the music mogul, claiming mistreatment during her time on the MTV reality series. The lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, alleges that Rivers was subjected to various forms of abuse, much of which was aired for millions of viewers.
The suit, filed by attorney Ariel Mitchell, highlights the infamous “cheesecake” incident from Making the Band 2, where Rivers and her group, Da Band, were forced to walk several blocks to fetch a dessert for Diddy. Rivers asserts that this was only one of many incidents where she was mistreated. She also claims that she was made to sleep in an open area with four male bandmates despite being married at the time, and was threatened with expulsion if she didn’t comply.
The lawsuit names several entities, including MTV, Viacom, and former Bad Boy Records employees such as Diddy’s mother, Janice Combs, and former assistant Fonzworth Bentley. Rivers further accuses Diddy of undermining her career, publicly disbanding Da Band while withholding most of her earnings. Additionally, she alleges that Diddy sexually harassed and assaulted her on multiple occasions, including one incident where he allegedly cornered her, blocked her movement, and touched her inappropriately.
In response, Diddy’s legal team has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “false claims.” They maintain that Diddy has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone, and they criticize the timing of the lawsuit, claiming it’s part of a rush to file meritless claims before the expiration of New York’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act deadline. Diddy’s legal team remains confident they will prevail in court.