Maui Police Chief John Pelletier seeks apology as ‘Diddy’ civil lawsuit is dismissed

The civil lawsuit filed in California against rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs — later amended to add a list of co-defendants, including Maui Police Chief John Pelletier — was dismissed on Tuesday for failure to prosecute.

“This is over and the truth has prevailed,” said Keola Whittaker, Pelletier’s attorney who spoke with various Hawaiʻi media outlets on Wednesday afternoon. “Nine months ago, my client was named in a federal lawsuit containing allegations that are so outrageous, so disconnected from reality that we knew immediately these were complete fabrications.”

The case was filed by Ashley Parham in October in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that Diddy and others gang raped her in Orinda, California in 2018. On March 7, an amended complaint named multiple co-defendants for various alleged roles.

The lawsuit alleged — and Pelletier vehemently denied — that he posed as a Contra Costa Sheriff and failed to call for emergency services when Parham reported the violent incident. Two other plaintiffs, a mother and son named as Jane and John Doe, said they witnessed the rape and alleged that Pelletier and others forcibly took them from Las Vegas to California where they witnessed the assault, according to earlier reports detailed by the Hawaiʻi Journalism Initiative. 

The plaintiffs never received a summons and were never served the complaint, according to Pelletier’s attorney.

Pelletier’s attorney said his client was never in Contra Costa, California in March 2018 and that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department records “conclusively prove” he was on duty or on call in Las Vegas, 400 miles away.

He also pointed to bank records, phone records, and location data saying, “Chief Pelletier literally could not have committed these acts because he was somewhere else entirely.”

“This case appears to be a deliberate fabrication against Chief Pelletier, a work of fiction filed as a federal lawsuit,” said Whittaker.

Pelletier’s attorney said he doesn’t know exactly why his client was named in this case, but said he thinks there are reasons why people would want his reputation ruined. “He put away a lot of bad people, and he’s doing a lot of investigations. So we want to find out exactly who is behind this beyond the people that have already been named,” said Whittaker.

Pelletier thanked those who stood by him as the allegations unfolded over the last nine months. To those who were critical and called for action, Pelletier said the pain caused to his family, the department, the policing profession and the community cannot be undone.

Pelletier said he endured murder threats as well as mounting pressure through comments on social media, but said is not deterred by what he called a “frivolous lawsuit.”

“I’m not going away over a ridiculous false complaint… I’ve kept my mouth quiet for nine months, but I chose to fight evil for 26 years,” he said, vowing to stay put.

“We’re not going to tolerate retaliation. We’re not going to tolerate frivolous lawsuits. We’re going to do what’s right—and we’ve done that, and we’re going to continue to do that,” he said.

In the wake of the allegation, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen recommended that the Police Commission place Pelletier on leave while the claims of the lawsuit were investigated. Bissen urged the commission to conduct an independent review rather than wait for a resolution in the case.

The Maui Police Commission voted unanimously to take no action against Chief Pelletier shortly after the allegations surfaced. “Every commissioner stood firm against pressure to act on allegations rather than evidence. Chief Pelletier is moving forward with his career and his life, his reputation intact among those who matter—his family, his colleagues, his community and all law enforcement professionals who understand exactly what happened here,” said Whittaker.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Bissen responded to Maui Now’s request for comment regarding the dismissed case, saying:

Pelletier’s attorney said it hasn’t been easy, but said “the truth has a way of winning in the end.”

Whittaker said it would be difficult for the case to be refiled because: “One, it has no basis,” and, “The second reason is that this would be time barred,” meaning the time frame to file will have passed after seven years.

Whittaker said legal remedies could include seeking compensation for the thousands of dollars spent on defense. After months of waiting, he said Pelletier and his family can now celebrate Christmas and the New Year with this weight lifted.

Pelletier was sworn in as Maui police chief in 2021. In 2023 he led the local law enforcement response to the devastating Maui wildfires.