Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.

(NewsNation) — A New York judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-bodyguard against a woman who alleged he assaulted her along with the music producer in 2001.

District Judge Analisa Torres wrote in a court order this week that a lawsuit by former Combs employee Joseph Sherman was “patently frivolous” and that his attorney, Darnell Crosland, knew the claims would not hold up.

Torres also imposed sanctions on Sherman and his attorney for reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees incurred by Graves’ attorneys in defending the suit.

Diddy accuser named bodyguard in sexual assault lawsuit

Sherman filed a lawsuit last year against Thalia Graves and her attorney Gloria Allred, alleging defamation and emotional distress after he was named in a lawsuit with Combs in September. 

In her suit, Graves had alleged Combs and Sherman “viciously raped her” at the Bad Boy Records studio in the summer of 2001, according to court documents obtained by NewsNation local affiliate KTLA.

She also alleged that the assault was filmed and then shared without the victim’s consent, including selling it as pornography.

At the time, Sherman called Graves’ allegations of rape “utterly false and untrue” and that she and her lawyers “made outrageous, disgusting, and life-altering statements … without any regard for the truth.” 

He also says Graves is trying to “blackmail him,” the outlet reported.

But a court found those claims to be baseless. 

“We are pleased that the Court swiftly rejected this frivolous lawsuit, making clear that the legal system cannot be weaponized to intimidate survivors and their attorneys.  We look forward to vindicating our client’s rights in her underlying case that remains pending against Defendants Combs and Sherman,” the law firm of Wang Hecker, which co-represents Graves, said in a statement Wednesday.  

Diddy faces criminal and civil cases alleging sexual abuse

Graves brought suit against Combs along with dozens of other accusers who have alleged abuse and sexual assault spanning over 30 years. 

Combs is standing trial on charges claiming he used his music empire to engage in sex trafficking and is accused of having a pattern of abusing women.

He is currently in the middle of his federal criminal trial, where he faces five counts of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence.

Combs has pleaded not guilty in the federal criminal trial and has denied the allegations listed against him in multiple lawsuits.