A US federal judge has ruled that key civil human trafficking allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs can proceed toward a potential trial, rejecting the disgraced music mogul’s motion to dismiss the core claims of a $20 million lawsuit, per allhiphop.com.
Federal Judge Anne Hwang issued an order allowing federal and California state human trafficking claims filed by Clayton Howard to move forward.
Howard, a former escort who is representing himself in court while pursuing a law degree, initially filed the civil suit in July 2025.
Howard alleges that Combs and his former partner, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, trafficked him across state lines over nearly a decade beginning in 2009. According to court filings, Howard claims he was systematically drugged, isolated in hotel suites and transported across multiple cities at Combs’ expense.
The court dismissed claims against Ventura with leave to amend, citing a lack of specific events tied to her within the applicable statute of limitations. Howard has been granted 14 days to refile revised allegations against Ventura. The court also denied Ventura’s motion to transfer the proceedings to New York, despite her legal team noting she currently resides outside the United States.
Judge Hwang dismissed four of Howard’s eight original counts entirely, including civil RICO claims and a Florida trafficking count deemed time-barred. Two additional counts based on federal criminal statutes were struck down as private citizens cannot bring civil actions under those provisions.
Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence at FCI Fort Dix following a July 2025 conviction for Mann Act violations. His legal team is appealing that federal conviction.
The ruling marks another legal setback for Combs, whose extensive network of civil lawsuits and federal prosecutions expanded rapidly following Ventura’s landmark civil lawsuit in late 2023.