P. Diddy Sued for Assault by Club-goer

Los Angeles- Famous hip hop business mogul, producer, and music artist Sean "Diddy" Combs has been formally charged in civil court for assault, according to the Associated Press, against another patron of a popular night club. According to the legal action filed with Los Angeles-area courts, the celebrity Combs punched his accuser and pushed the man's girlfriend, which if proven true could mean significant punitive damages in the form of hard cash.

P. Diddy has a history of being accused in civil court of violent actions. In 1997, Combs was engaged in an argument with the manager of fellow rapper Nas, Steve Stoute of Interscope Records, when he apparently became overcome with anger and fell to blows. He was subsequently arrested for aggravated assault. More popularly, Combs was charged with weapons violations after gunshots were fired within a popular, crowded night club (Club New York in Manhatten), where Combs was partying with his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. In addition to bribery charges, Combs was brought before a judge, but was eventually cleared by the diligent work of renowned litigator Johnnie Cochran, Jr².

In the present assault case, the accuser is Gerard Rechnitzer, who claims that Diddy was conversing with his girlfriend when he approached the pair. According to Rechnitzer's denouncement, Combs's attitude elevated to a "threatening and ominous" level that made the victim feel imperiled, before Combs lost his temper and struck the man so powerfully that he was propelled to the rear and struck an adjacent car¹.

While the case is still in the early stages of court processing, the defense is already popularizing its opinion. As could be expected, Diddy Combs's unimaginably high-priced lawyers will claim that the charges are based on sensationalism from a con artist, who is attempting to extort money from the known celebrity due to his avowed wealth.