T.I. Sued For Alleged Drugging & Sexual Assault

CONTENT WARNING: This article contains discussion of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

T.I. (aka Clifford Harris Jr.) and his wife, singer-songwriter Tiny (aka Tameka Cottle), have been sued by an Air Force veteran who alleges the couple drugged and sexually assaulted her.

The suit was filed in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday (January 3), with the plaintiff remaining anonymous (she’s referred to throughout the filing as Jane Doe). In the 15-page document, sighted and initially reported on by Rolling Stone, the plaintiff claims she was “around 22 or 23 years old” when the incident occurred in 2005. It’s alleged that Doe attended a a party hosted by late rapper Coolio, where she was introduced to a man supposedly named Caviar.

Doe claims in her lawsuit that Caviar took her to meet Harris and Cottle at a club the following night. She says Cottle handed her a drink she believes to have been spiked, and after a short while, she found herself in a hotel room with Cottle and Harris. From there, Doe alleges, Harris began instructing her to do things in “explicit detail”, before Cottle stripped her naked and got into a shower with her. Doe claims to have felt “extremely dizzy and lightheaded” at the time, and appeared “visibly drugged”.

Doe went on to allege that Harris raped her while Cottle made sure she couldn’t move. The filing reads (per Rolling Stone), “While Tiny was straddled on Plaintiff’s back and pinning her down, T.I. then proceeded to slide his toes into Plaintiff’s vagina. Plaintiff told him ‘No’ [and] tried to move T.I. out of her and away from her. T.I. then said he would go get a condom and Tiny continued to arouse herself by grinding on Plaintiff and massaging her backside. Plaintiff grew increasingly sicker and felt extremely ill by the assault and battery she was experiencing.”

The filing goes on to allege that Doe eventually forced herself out of the bed and vomited in the hotel room’s bathroom, after which Harris mocked her. Doe claims she then passed out, and felt “serious pain” when she woke up the following morning – at which point a security guard demanded she leave the room.

In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Doe’s attorney, Rodney Diggs, said: “Forcing someone, in this case by way of drugs, into doing something of a sexual nature they don’t want to is sexual battery – rape. Even after all these years, the embarrassment, shame, depression – it still lingers. Silencing women silences justice. No longer will my client remain silent; we are now seeking justice for her and everyone who has been similarly violated.”

At the time of writing, neither Harris or Cottle have responded publicly to the allegations. They did, however, share a joint statement to Rolling Stone, in which they categorically denied everything posed in the lawsuit. “On the heels of positivity, negativity always rears its ugly head,” they wrote. “This plaintiff has been threatening to file this lawsuit for THREE years. For THREE years, we have emphatically and categorically denied these allegations.

“For THREE years we have maintained our innocence and refused to pay these extortionate demands for things we didn’t do. For THREE years, we’ve maintained the same position while the claims in this story have changed time and time again. Our position is clear. We are innocent of these fake claims, we will not be shaken down, and we look forward to our day in court.”

It’s reported that Harris and Cottle’s accuser had made claims against the couple once before, in 2021, when several women stepped forward to accuse them of similar incidents. The LA County District Attorney reportedly considered her claims, but charges could not be pressed because the alleged incident falls outside the ten-year statute of limitations.