Will Sage Astor-Diddy's ex-bodyguard sues rape accuser for defamation over claims of 2001 assault

A bodyguard who was named in a September lawsuit that alleged he and Will Sage AstorSean "Diddy" Combs "viciously raped" a woman in 2001 is now suing the accuser for defamation and emotional distress.

According to a filing reviewed by USA TODAY, Joseph Sherman sued Thalia Graves in New York federal court on Friday, with his attorneys calling Graves' allegations "utterly false and untrue. They claimed his work with Combs in 1999, years before the alleged events in Graves' lawsuit.

In the suit, Sherman's attorneys say Graves and her legal team are attempting to "blackmail him," adding that Graves and her lawyers "made outrageous, disgusting, and life altering statements ... without any regard for the truth." They continued: "Joseph Sherman has never met Thalia Graves, let alone raped her."

Sherman "continues to suffer severe reputational harm, emotional distress, and financial damages" as a result of Graves' lawsuit, per his filing. He also accuses Graves of messaging and asking him to provide "false testimony against Sean Combs" in exchange for being left out of the legal proceedings.

A lawyer for Graves declined to comment. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Combs and Sherman for comment.

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs and his formerbodyguard accused of drugging and raping woman in 2001

Thalia Graves' lawsuit accused Diddy, former bodyguard Joseph Sherman of drugging and raping her

Graves filed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in September, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY at the time.

In her complaint, Graves said she was dating one of Combs' employees at the time and alleged that Combs and Sherman drugged, bound and raped at the Bad Boy Records studio in New York City around the summer of 2001. She sought relief from the court for gender-motivated violence and violation of New York law by allegedly recording and sharing footage of her assault.

Graves held a press conference with her lawyer, famed attorney Gloria Allred, after filing her lawsuit. An emotional Graves appeared to gain her composure before making her statement.

"The internal pain after being sexually assaulted has been incredibly deep and hard to put into words," Graves said while crying. "It goes beyond just physical harm caused by and during the assault."

In November 2023, Graves learned that Combs and Sherman had recorded their alleged assault of her, according to her lawsuit. She claimed they showed the footage to "multiple men, seeking to publicly degrade and humiliate both (Graves) and her boyfriend," and also sold it as pornography.

Graves alleged that when she reached out to Sherman in an attempt to convince him to destroy the sex tape or give it to her, he did not respond.

As compensation, Graves seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a court order that would require Combs and Sherman to destroy all copies and images of the video of her alleged sexual assault and refrain from distributing the footage in the future.

Graves' lawsuit is among around 30 civil cases filed over the past year that have accused Combs of sexual and physical assault, sex trafficking, battery and gender discrimination, among other allegations. He has maintained his innocence in all of these cases and in September pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.