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Lawsuit filed against Diddy
06/03/2007 11:40 - (SA)
Sandy Cohen
Los Angeles - A lawsuit has been filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs, alleging the music mogul punched and pushed the plaintiff and his girlfriend at a Hollywood nightclub.
Gerard Rechnitzer is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit, which was filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
An attorney for Combs called the suit "completely baseless."
Rechnitzer, 27, claims he and his girlfriend ran into Combs at the club, Teddy's, inside the Roosevelt Hotel in the early morning hours of February 25.
According to the lawsuit, Combs was talking to Rechnitzer's girlfriend when Rechnitzer approached. Combs, 37, then yelled at Rechnitzer "in a threatening and ominous matter," the suit claims.
The rap star and clothing designer then "intentionally, willfully, knowingly and unlawfully attacked, assaulted and battered" Rechnitzer, according to court documents, causing him to "fly backward several feet" and hit a parked car.
The suit further alleges that Combs pushed Rechnitzer's girlfriend and "attempted to spit on another female member" of Rechnitzer's group.
Rechnitzer then called police, the lawsuit says.
Rechnitzer's attorney, Michael Marzban, would not elaborate on the lawsuit on Monday, saying, "Everything you want is in the complaint."
Opportunist taking advantage of celebrity status
Benjamin Brafman, an attorney for Combs, said the case would be "vigorously defended."
"It's just another example of an opportunist seeking to fabricate a lawsuit based on a flat-out lie to try to take advantage of Mr Combs's celebrity status," Brafman said in a statement.
"Mr Combs did not hit anyone and Mr Rechnitzer suffered no injuries or damages whatsoever. There is no case. It is that simple."
No court date has been set, Marzban said.
- AP
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South Africa
