Diddy‘s ex-bodyguard, Joe “Big Joe” Sherman, has reacted after being accused of sexual assault and rape in a lawsuit recently filed against him and the 54-year-old. As The Shade Room previously reported, the lawsuit was filed by Thalia Graves, who is accusing the pair of misdeeds that allegedly occurred in 2001.
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Diddy’s Ex-Bodyguard Joe Sherman Reacts To The Sexual Assault Lawsuit
On Tuesday, October 1, NBC New York published an exclusive interview with Sherman. While sitting down with the outlet, Diddy’s ex-bodyguard alleged that he’s never met Graves and believes her lawsuit is “a lie on” him.
“I don’t know this lady from anywhere,” he said.
Sherman explained that he doesn’t doubt Graves’ alleged claim about Diddy. However, he maintains that he has no connection to the incident referred to in her suit.
“I am not questioning her integrity. I am just questioning her claims against me,” Sherman said. “You got the wrong man. I wasn’t even in the same room with you. I have never seen you. I wasn’t even in New York that I recall at the time.”
According to Sherman, he worked as a Bad Boy bodyguard in the 1990s. However, by 2001, he had no longer worked for the company.
“Her and whoever she’s in cahoots with was orchestrating a money grab. And she wanted me to be part of that money grab…She wanted to get Diddy,” he told the outlet.
Here’s Why Diddy’s Ex-Bodyguard Believes The Lawsuit Is A “Money Grab”
According to Sherman, he allegedly began receiving texts from Graves via Instagram in November 2023. NBC New York reportedly verified the messages and confirmed they were sent from Graves.
“She says, ‘Are you Big Joe?’ I said, ‘You’re on my Instagram,'” Sherman recalled of their exchange, explaining to the outlet that Graves inquiring about his identity confirmed she did not know who he was.
Furthermore, in the texts, Graves allegedly asked Sherman to be her “witness” against Diddy.
“If you will be my witness against Diddy, then my attorneys will leave you out of any proceedings because we have statements that you physically showed over eight people videos of me and you to people in the studio,” Graves’ subsequent message to Sherman read, per NBC New York.
Sherman allegedly replied to Graves with: “I don’t know what the f**k you talking about [or] know who the f**’ you are.”
Despite this, the ex-bodyguard to Diddy was named in Grave’s lawsuit.
“[There] never was a video, I never saw this woman,” Sherman told the outlet. “I am nothing but a scapegoat for this BS because I wouldn’t lie on Puffy — Sean Combs… I never disrespected or seen this woman in my life. Come on, it’s a money grab…”
More Details On Thalia Grave’s Lawsuit & Allegations
As The Shade Room previously reported, Grave’s lawsuit was reportedly filed on September 24 in the Southern District of New York. In the suit, Graves accuses Diddy and Sherman of drugging, bounding, and raping her at the “Daddy’s House” recording studio in 2001.
Additionally, the lawsuit asserted that Diddy and Sherman recorded the incident and sold it as pornography.
Per Variety, Graves accused the pair of threatening her custody of her son in exchange for her silence since the incident. Additionally, the woman alleged that she learned of the pornographic recording in November 2023.
Furthermore, on September 24, Graves and her attorney held a public press conference to discuss her claims. Variety notes that she is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages, among other costs and fees,” in her lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Sherman told NBC New York that he and his legal team plan to file a countersuit against Graves. Additionally, the suit will likely accuse Graves of defamation.
“She knows what she did to me destroyed my family, destroyed my livelihood — I can’t get a job,” Sherman asserted.
Diddy's former bodyguard Joseph "Big Joe" Sherman vehemently denies being involved in the alleged sexual assault of Thalia Graves.
"It's a lie on me."
Graves claims in a recent lawsuit Diddy and Sherman raped her in 2001. pic.twitter.com/sLSDI4eUI9
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) October 4, 2024
