Diddy Hit with $5 Million Suit Over Alleged 1996 High-Speed Car Chase

Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Sean "Diddy" Combs Album Release Party For "The Love Album: Off The Grid" on September 15, 2023 in New York City.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 15: Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Sean “Diddy” Combs Album Release Party For “The Love Album: Off The Grid” on September 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)

Nearly thirty years after an alleged pursuit through New York City streets, Diddy now faces fresh legal action accusing him of orchestrating a dangerous car chase aimed at confronting a man with his crew. According to reports, DeWitt Gilmore, an Atlanta-based “author, entrepreneur, and public figure,” filed the lawsuit in federal court last Sunday, November 3. In the legal filing, Gilmore claims that on a summer night in 1996, he was about to get in his car outside a nightclub when Diddy and a group of his “associates” pulled up and started provoking him. The complaint states that the situation quickly escalated when some of the group allegedly drew guns, leading to shots being fired.

Gilmore was allegedly “Fearing for his life, Plaintiff Gilmore, with…witnesses, were aggressively chased through the dark city streets and managed to evade the scene by accelerating through traffic, narrowly escaping a potentially deadly ambush,” per court documents. He claims that legal action began after reestablishing contact with a former witness from that evening, someone he hadn’t spoken to in decades.

The court filings read, “This reconnection brought forth new insight and testimonial evidence surrounding the events of that night, underscoring the intensity of the encounter with Sean Combs.” “[The witness’s] account serves as recently discovered evidence, significant enough to reopen the case beyond the usual statute of limitations due to the unique circumstances of intimidation and safety concerns that delayed earlier action.” Gilmore is seeking $5 million in damages, citing emotional trauma, physical injuries, lost opportunities, and harm to his reputation.

Miami Beach Revokes Diddy’s Honorary Key Amid Lawsuit

A day before Gilmore filed his lawsuit, Diddy’s honorary key to Miami Beach, Florida, was formally rescinded. TMZ reported that on November 2, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, along with the city commission, reached a unanimous verdict during an in-person meeting earlier this week. Commissioners Joe Magazine, David Suarez, Tanya Katzoff Bhatt, and Alex Fernandez played key roles as the primary sponsors of the motion. Diddy was bestowed with the ceremonial key in 2015, a tribute to his significant impact on the city.


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