Suit Alleging Rape At Orinda Party By Diddy, Odell Beckham Jr., And Comedian Tossed By Judge

LAMORINDA, CA — A federal judge has dismissed a 2024 lawsuit alleging three celebrities sexually assaulted a woman at a 2018 party in Orinda, after finding the defendants were never properly served and the plaintiff missed key deadlines.

A federal judge in California dismissed the case brought by Ashley Parham, who alleged she had been raped in 2018 by Sean "Diddy" Combs, NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., comedian Drew Desbordes (Druski), and others at a party in Orinda.

Parham sued Combs in 2024, alleging sexual assault and battery, abuse, false imprisonment and kidnapping. She amended her lawsuit, claiming that Combs instructed Druski to rape her, with Beckham and another man taking turns.

Beckham Jr. and Druski each denied being part of the alleged assault and said they were not in Orinda at the time.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco noted on Tuesday that Parham failed to serve the defendants within 90 days of filing the complaint. "Parham missed that deadline," Lin said. Parham was granted a 90-day extension, but also missed that extended deadline.

In September 2023, Parham's attorneys withdrew from the case and were not replaced.
The judge extended the deadline to substitute counsel or to state an intent to proceed without one until Dec. 8. Parham asked for more time, citing a variety of medical difficulties and safety concerns that made it difficult to find counsel, according to court documents. However, the judge said more than two months had passed since Parham's lawyers quit, and the attorneys she said she consulted each declined to take over the case.

Lin dismissed the case "without prejudice," meaning Parham is not barred from filing a new lawsuit if she finds a lawyer to represent her, so long as other legal requirements are met — potentially giving a jury the opportunity to weigh in on the case.

Druski released a statement saying, "It was only a matter of time before this frivolous lawsuit against me was dismissed."

Beckham's attorney, Andrew Jablon, said in a statement that "Mr Beckham and his representatives are pleased that, with the lawsuit's dismissal, these scurrilous allegations can finally be put to rest," he said, adding that Lin's ruling "confirms the reality that this case never should have been filed against Mr Beckham."

The judge denied a motion by Beckham's lawyers to sanction Parham, saying that, when Parham filed the amended complaint, "there did appear to be a reasonable factual basis to name Beckham as a defendant." A claim with some plausible basis, even a weak one, is sufficient to avoid sanction, the judge said in her ruling.

The case began at a bar in Orinda, where Parham said she met a man who called Diddy. She then claimed she had a tense exchange with Diddy over FaceTime because she accused him of being responsible for the death of rapper Tupac Shakur. The man took her to him home, where she said Diddy appeared later. Parham alleged that the man "set her up to be assaulted by Combs because of the statements she made about Diddy over FaceTime," according to court documents.