‘Completely vindicated’: Sex crimes lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs naming Maui police chief dismissed

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‘Completely vindicated’: Sex crimes lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs naming Maui police chief dismissed

WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A civil lawsuit against rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs that named Maui police chief John Pelletier as a defendant has been dismissed.

A California judge ruled Tuesday that the plaintiffs missed important legal deadlines, preventing the case from moving forward.

Pelletier was named as one of more than a dozen defendants, which included NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. and comedian Druski, in an amended complaint that claimed they were part of the “Diddy Sexual Abuse Coverup Enterprise.”

The lawsuit accused Pelletier of helping carry out and cover up a gang rape in California in 2018, when he was a Las Vegas police captain.

Pelletier denied the claims and showed evidence that he was more than 500 miles away at the time of the alleged crime.

A California judge ruled Tuesday that the plaintiffs missed important legal deadlines to move the case forward.

Keola Whittaker, Pelletier’s attorney, said the Maui police chief was “completely vindicated” after the plaintiffs’ attorneys withdrew and “after months, they couldn’t find a single lawyer willing to take the case.”

Whittaker said, “This case died not because it was settled, not because it went to trial, but it just collapsed under its own falsehoods.”

Whittaker said the lawsuit appeared to be a “deliberate fabrication” and pointed out that “other defendants have come forward with similar proof that they were not present at the alleged locations on the alleged dates.”

Out of uniform Wednesday, Pelletier lashed out against those who filed the suit.

“To those who threw out allegations or promoted a false narrative, to those who hurt my family, you should be ashamed of yourselves and your actions,” he said.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen urged the police commission to put Pelletier on leave days after the complaint was filed.

When asked what his message to the mayor was, Pelletier gestured to his wife standing by his side.

“Now that you know the facts. Now that you see that you’ve hurt (my) kids. Now that you see you’ve hurt an innocent woman. Do you care then?” Pelletier said. ”The constitution is supposed to apply to me too. So when you swore an oath to uphold it, did you just forget because you didn’t like me from the beginning? I don’t know.”

Pelletier continued, “We do as much as we can each and every day to protect people, and so to be labeled or placed in a suit as inflammatory as this when we’re talking about the victimization that this case has, it’s wrong.”

Pelletier now says he and his family are owed an apology.

“I am grateful that the civil lawsuit against Police Chief John Pelletier was dismissed, and I am confident that the judicial process functioned as it should,” Mayor Bissen said in a statement. “I extend my aloha and compassion to Chief Pelletier and his ʻohana, who have endured a prolonged and difficult process. My administration and the Maui Police Department remain united in our commitment to working together in the best interest of our community.”