Diddy's former bodyguard Joseph Sherman to file defamation suit against Thalia Graves after being accused of s**ual assault

Joseph Sherman, Sean "Diddy" Combs' former bodyguard, had been accused of drugging and r**ing a woman back in 2001. Amid the drama surrounding the music mogul, Sherman decided to weigh in on the allegations made against him. He told The Daily Mail on September 26:

"This is totally wrong and I’m having my attorneys file a defamation suit against this lady."

Trigger warning: The article contains references to r**e. Readers' discretion is advised.

The woman in context was Thalia Graves from Texas, who had filed a lawsuit against Joseph Sherman and Diddy, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. In the suit filed in a federal court in New York, Graves claimed that Combs and Sherman had given her a glass of wine during a car ride, after which she started feeling dizzy and found herself naked in a studio in Manhattan.

Upon gaining consciousness, she allegedly found herself bound and restrained. The suit further read:

"Combs mercilessly r**ed her, a*ally and vaginally. Sherman forcefully slammed Plaintiff onto a table, slapped her, and repeatedly thrust his p*nis into her mouth. Both men were undeterred by Plaintiff’s cries for help throughout the attack."

Joseph, however, denied all the allegations and even claimed that Graves was trying to reach out to him through direct messages on social media. According to the former bodyguard, she wanted him to testify against Diddy in her pending suit. Sherman further said:

"And I’m also filing a defamation lawsuit against everybody that she mentioned in the Instagram DMs that she sent me..."

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Joseph Sherman denies working for Diddy at that time

As mentioned, Diddy's former bodyguard had been involved in a recent lawsuit along with the music mogul himself. He, however, had denied all the allegations made by the complainant and also claimed that he didn't even work for Combs at that time. Sherman spoke about Thalia Graves and said:

"I know for a fact that this is a money grab. I've never seen this lady. Don't have any tape of her like she says I have. I’ve never seen her. I never did anything with her. I don't know, none of this. I don't even know this lady."

Despite his claims of not being related to Combs, several photos of him had been found where he could be seen next to the music mogul, as reported by The Daily Mail. Over the years, Sherman has also shared photos with stars like Mariah Carey, Jay Z, Bruce Willis, and the late singer Aaliyah.

The Daily Mail reported that they had checked Sherman's Instagram profile, shortly before he made it a private account. The former bodyguard further told the publication:

"I'm being crucified and tortured for something I had nothing to do with me and me and Mr. Combs was not even friends. We had no relationship whatsoever. I have not been around Diddy for 24 years."

According to the complainant, Thalia Graves, Combs r*ped her in his studio after restraining her when she allegedly lost consciousness due to a spiked drink. Graves further claimed that the incident had caused extreme emotional and physical distress.

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The lawsuit against Combs is the latest suit filed against him, shortly after getting indicted.