After more than a year, a sexual assault lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, Odell Beckham Jr. and comedian Druski has been tossed out of California federal court.
Ashley Parham's October 2024 lawsuit over an alleged "gang rape" in 2018 was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Rita F. Lin on Dec. 16 due to procedural issues on the plaintiff's part.
Parham, whose lawyer withdrew from the case in September, missed a multitude of deadlines, neglected to provide proof that the defendants had been served legal documents and failed to either obtain new counsel or move forward without representation, Lin's order stated.
"It has been over two months since Plaintiffs' counsel's withdrawal, and Plaintiffs describe consulting an array of potential counsel, who have each declined to take the matter. The barrier to obtaining counsel therefore does not appear to be Plaintiffs’ capacity to seek counsel, but the willingness of counsel to be retained in the matter," Lin wrote.
She added, "There is no indication that this barrier is likely to resolve."
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The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Parham is "not barred from filing a new lawsuit if and when they find counsel, so long as other legal requirements are met."
Parham had originally sued Combs in 2024, alleging sexual assault and battery, abuse, false imprisonment and kidnapping. In March, she amended her lawsuit and claimed that Combs had instructed Druski (real name Drew Desbordes) to assault her, with Beckham and another man taking turns.
The three men denied the claims.
Odell Beckham Jr.'s lawyers slam 'farce of a lawsuit'
In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Dec. 17, Beckham's attorney Andrew Jablon welcomed the end to "this farce of a lawsuit."
"Mr. Beckham and his representatives are pleased that, with the lawsuit's dismissal, these scurrilous allegations can finally be put to rest," he said, adding that Lin's ruling "confirms the reality that this case never should have been filed against Mr. Beckham."
The NFL player's legal counsel alleges Parham's attorneys withdrew "at the 11th hour" rather than continue "prosecution of a frivolous lawsuit against Mr. Beckham" and also that they "had been provided with uncontroverted evidence that Mr. Beckham – who has never met Plaintiff and never been to the area in question – [and] was hundreds of miles away at the time of the alleged assault."
Though Beckham's team filed a motion for sanctions against Parham and her counsel in August, Lin denied the request in her Dec. 16 order, noting that "At the time of filing the amended complaint, there did appear to be a reasonable factual basis to name Beckham as a defendant, for the same reasons as with Defendant Drew Desbordes."
Beckham's lawyers had asked for monetary sanctions totaling at least $61,000 for legal costs incurred "as a result of this baseless suit" as well as dismissal of her claims against the pro athlete.
www.usatoday.com
Ashley Parham's October 2024 lawsuit over an alleged "gang rape" in 2018 was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Rita F. Lin on Dec. 16 due to procedural issues on the plaintiff's part.
Parham, whose lawyer withdrew from the case in September, missed a multitude of deadlines, neglected to provide proof that the defendants had been served legal documents and failed to either obtain new counsel or move forward without representation, Lin's order stated.
"It has been over two months since Plaintiffs' counsel's withdrawal, and Plaintiffs describe consulting an array of potential counsel, who have each declined to take the matter. The barrier to obtaining counsel therefore does not appear to be Plaintiffs’ capacity to seek counsel, but the willingness of counsel to be retained in the matter," Lin wrote.
She added, "There is no indication that this barrier is likely to resolve."
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The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Parham is "not barred from filing a new lawsuit if and when they find counsel, so long as other legal requirements are met."
Parham had originally sued Combs in 2024, alleging sexual assault and battery, abuse, false imprisonment and kidnapping. In March, she amended her lawsuit and claimed that Combs had instructed Druski (real name Drew Desbordes) to assault her, with Beckham and another man taking turns.
The three men denied the claims.
Odell Beckham Jr.'s lawyers slam 'farce of a lawsuit'
In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Dec. 17, Beckham's attorney Andrew Jablon welcomed the end to "this farce of a lawsuit."
"Mr. Beckham and his representatives are pleased that, with the lawsuit's dismissal, these scurrilous allegations can finally be put to rest," he said, adding that Lin's ruling "confirms the reality that this case never should have been filed against Mr. Beckham."
The NFL player's legal counsel alleges Parham's attorneys withdrew "at the 11th hour" rather than continue "prosecution of a frivolous lawsuit against Mr. Beckham" and also that they "had been provided with uncontroverted evidence that Mr. Beckham – who has never met Plaintiff and never been to the area in question – [and] was hundreds of miles away at the time of the alleged assault."
Though Beckham's team filed a motion for sanctions against Parham and her counsel in August, Lin denied the request in her Dec. 16 order, noting that "At the time of filing the amended complaint, there did appear to be a reasonable factual basis to name Beckham as a defendant, for the same reasons as with Defendant Drew Desbordes."
Beckham's lawyers had asked for monetary sanctions totaling at least $61,000 for legal costs incurred "as a result of this baseless suit" as well as dismissal of her claims against the pro athlete.
Diddy, OBJ, Druski's rape lawsuit dismissed after accuser loses lawyer
Odell Beckham Jr. and Druski are speaking out after Ashley Parham's lawsuit was tossed out due to missed deadlines and failure to obtain new lawyers.
www.usatoday.com
