Sean “Diddy” Combs has scored a major victory in court after a federal judge threw out nearly every claim in a blockbuster $60 million lawsuit brought against him by singer Sara Rivers, a former contestant on Making the Band 2.
US District Judge Jed S Rakoff issued a ruling that dismissed 21 of the 22 claims Rivers filed, marking a decisive turn in the long-running legal saga. The only remaining allegation has been placed on hold until a federal appeals court rules on the constitutionality of recent amendments to that statute.
The case, which surfaced more than two decades after Rivers appeared on Diddy’s hit MTV reality series, accused the hip-hop mogul of a wide range of misconduct, including sexual harassment, assault, forced labour, and emotional abuse. Rivers alleged she endured inappropriate touching, humiliation about her eating disorder, and unsafe living conditions while filming the early 2000s show.
She even referenced the show’s infamous “cheesecake episode,” in which Diddy instructed her group to trek from Manhattan to Brooklyn to fetch him a dessert. Rivers argued the moment exemplified the alleged exploitation contestants faced, saying she and her castmates were paid just $5,000 per episode and received a single $25,000 bonus for their time on the series.
But Judge Rakoff found that most of Rivers’ claims either lacked legal standing or were filed too late to move forward. He dismissed them “with prejudice,” meaning they cannot be refiled in any court. Several claims were also voluntarily withdrawn by Rivers ahead of the hearing, which the judge marked as moot.
For Diddy, who has spent much of the past year facing lawsuits, headlines, and federal investigations, the ruling represents a rare and significant legal win. His attorneys have repeatedly called Rivers’ lawsuit “baseless” and “completely false,” and they said Friday’s ruling vindicates their client.
Rivers, now in her 40s, has yet to comment publicly on the dismissal. She first came to fame as a member of Da Band, the hip-hop group formed on Making the Band 2, which aired on MTV from 2002 to 2004. Her lawsuit alleged that her brief time on the show left lasting scars and derailed her career.