Following accusations of sexual assault, Sean "Diddy" Combs was dropped by eighteen brands

Eighteen businesses have broken off their affiliation with Combs' e-commerce portal Empower Global, as per a Rolling Stone article that was released on Sunday.

Establishing a digital marketplace that offers "opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to build and scale successful businesses and for everyone to 'Shop Black' daily with ease," Empower Global was founded by Combs in 2021 to advance Black-owned businesses.

One business that has broken away from Empower Global is the fashion and lifestyle brand House of Takura, which on Monday sent an email to USA TODAY confirming its exit from the organization.

Founder Annette Njau told Rolling Stone, "We take the allegations against Mr. Combs very seriously and find such behavior abhorrent and intolerable." "We believe in victims’ rights and support victims in speaking their truth, even against the most powerful of people."

Nuudii System, a brand of shapewear and undergarments, has also ended its business partnership with Combs company. The CEO of Nuudii System, Annette Azan, stated in an email to USA TODAY on Monday that Combs's alleged sexual assault was the immediate catalyst for the decision.

"My two daughters and I own and operate the women's brand Nuudii System." We support and believe in women," Azan declared. To be honest, we're tired of men attempting to manipulate our bodies and abusing their authority.

USA TODAY has reached out to Combs' representative for comment.

Other companies that have reportedly left Empower Global include skincare brand Tsuri, jewelry label Fulaba, footwear line Rebecca Allen, and sunscreen brand Baby Donna. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives of these companies for comment.

The exodus of these companies isn't the only shake-up in Combs' business life. Last month, the cable TV network Revolt (which Combs co-founded) revealed that Combs stepped down as chairman of the company. The network did not disclose the reason for Combs' departure in its statement.

What is Sean 'Diddy' Combs being accused of?

Combs, one the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades, has been caught up in a whirlwind series of legal battles, including a bombshell lawsuit by ex-girlfriend Cassie that accused him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. The pair settled the case on Nov. 17, just one day after Cassie filed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Two additional women came forward to report Combs and Cassie's settlement, accusing him of sexual abuse. On the eve of the Adult Survivors Act's expiration, which gives victims of sexual assault a year to file a civil complaint regardless of the statute of limitations, both lawsuits were filed in late November in New York.

The documents describe alleged sexual assaults, beatings, and forced druggings that Combs—at the time a rising star in New York City's hip-hop scene as well as a talent director and party promoter—performed in the early 1990s.

An anonymous plaintiff filed a second lawsuit against Combs last week, accusing him of rape and sex trafficking. The plaintiff claims that when she was seventeen years old, Combs and two other people gang-raped her. The lawsuit also cited Combs's Bad Boy Entertainment's former president, Harve Pierre.

Combs said in a statement at the time, "For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy." To be very clear, I did not do any of the horrible things that am being accused of. I'm going to battle for the truth, my family, and my name."