Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser says 'clout chasing' is why her lawyers withdrew from case

A woman who sued Sean "Diddy" Combs for allegedly sexually assaulting and trafficking her at his infamous Labor Day "white parties" say lawyers who withdrew from her case were "clout chasing."

In a statement to USA TODAY on Saturday, Adria English discussed her former attorneys Ariel Mitchell-Kidd and Steven A. Metcalf's Oct. 2 request to withdraw as her legal counsel in a court filing, claiming that Mitchell-Kidd is "trying to paint me as non-credible."

"I am happy with the decision to withdraw," English said, adding that her ex-attorneys' withdrawal from the case "made it easier" for her "to secure new, professional, non-clout chasing counsel." She added that she has "until Nov. 11, 2024, to secure new representation" or she will represent herself in court "by default."

United States District Judge Analisa Torres signed off on English's ex-attorneys' request on Friday. USA TODAY has reached out to Mitchell-Kidd and Metcalf for comment.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser's lawyersask to withdraw over 'fundamental disagreement'

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Sean Combs accuser Adria English claims she was sex trafficked

In her 114-page federal lawsuit filed on July 3 in the Southern District of New York, English alleged she was sex trafficked by Combs and his associates between 2004 and 2009 in New York and Florida, claiming she agreed to work as "entertainment" at Combs' "white parties" in the Hamptons and Miami to help her boyfriend secure modeling work with Combs' fashion brand Sean John.

She also alleged she was "forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol and consume illicit narcotics " including ecstasy and eventually was coerced into having sexual intercourse with guests.

English also accused Combs of helping her break into the music industry to "silence" her and "keep her in his sex trafficking organization "as well as threatening to harm or blackball those who "did not comply with his demands."

The lawsuit is one in a near-dozen civil lawsuits filed over the past year that accuse Combs of sexually assaulting and trafficking alleged victims. Last month, Combs was arrested at a Manhattan hotel and federal prosecutors later announced a grand jury indictment, that revealed an extensive and ongoing federal investigation into the hip-hop icon.

Combs, who is currently in a Brooklyn jail awaiting a May 2025 trial, is accused by federal authorities of using his status to "fulfill his sexual desires" in a "recurrent and widely known" pattern of abuse. In a separate ruling filed Friday, federal appeals court judge William J. Nardini denied Combs' immediate release pending a decision on his motion for bail. Nardini referred the motion to a three-judge panel within the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

English says she felt 'let down and attacked' by attorneys

On Saturday, English added in a follow-up text to a USA TODAY reporter that she felt "let down and attacked" by Mitchell-Kidd and said she sent her ex-attorney "a cease and desist."

"I am glad she withdrew from my case! Now true justice can be served! I am in talks with several big name attorneys," English said in the text messages. She also said she will publicly announce her new attorney before the court's request to do so on Nov. 11.

In the Oct. 2 legal filing last week, English's former attorneys cited "a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship" and "irreconcilable differences" as the basis for parting ways with their client.

"As a result of a fundamental disagreement between" the attorneys and English "regarding almost every aspect of the litigation, including settlement demands, causes of actions in the pleadings," as well as English's alleged "undermining behavior and questionable antics," the attorneys say "an irreconcilable conflict and tension has developed," the motion reads.

The withdrawal is a result of English allegedly breaching a Sept. 24 agreement they entered into due to her "tone and lack of respect" and "continued behavior and self-destructive activities," the attorneys claimed.

Mitchell-Kidd told The New York Times on Oct. 3 that she "never lost faith" in English's case, "just in her," adding, "Her case is great. My issue was with her undermining my work and going behind my back doing things incongruent to advancing her case." English also told the Times she clashed with Mitchell-Kidd on issues including the attorney telling her not to speak with the media

This story has been updated with new information and because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy stating Oct. 3 as Thursday.