Aaron Hall is evading legal papers, prompting Liza Gardner—who accused Hall and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault—to request serving him through newspaper notices after months of unsuccessful attempts to track him down.
Gardner, represented by attorney Tyrone Blackburn, has diligently attempted to serve Hall since filing the lawsuit in November 2023.
The suit accuses Hall and Combs of sexually assaulting Gardner when she was 16, following an MCA Records event in 1990 or 1991.
Gardner alleges Combs gave her alcohol and forced her into sexual acts at Hall’s New Jersey apartment. She further claims Aaron Hall then “burst into the room” and assaulted her as well, leaving her “shocked and traumatized.”
Blackburn stated clearly why Gardner now seeks to serve Hall through newspapers.
“I believe that service by publication is now the only remaining option to provide notice of this lawsuit to Mr. Hall. We have effectively exhausted all reasonable methods of locating him. I am unaware of any additional addresses, locations, or persons we could rely on to get the summons directly to Hall. Therefore, publication in newspapers is being sought as a last resort.”
Court documents detail Gardner’s extensive efforts to locate Aaron Hall. Process servers tried to serve him at a View Park, California address on June 12, 2024, but neighbors and current residents confirmed Hall had moved.
Another attempt on June 20, 2024, at a Tarzana, California residence also failed, with the current homeowner stating Hall had relocated two years prior.
Gardner expanded her search to Ohio, attempting service twice at a Cleveland address in early September 2024. On September 5, no one answered the door and the following day, the occupant who responded denied knowing Hall.
Further investigative efforts identified a Woodland Hills, California apartment as Hall’s potential last-known residence.
Gardner’s team attempted rush service there on November 6, 2024, and again in January 2025 after filing an amended complaint, but Hall remained elusive.
With Hall’s current location unknown and possible ties to Georgia and California, Gardner now seeks court approval to publish notices in newspapers circulating in both states.
The lawsuit, filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act—which provided a one-year window for survivors to file claims—also names MCA Inc., Universal Music Group and other entities as defendants.
Former co-defendant DeVanté Swing of Jodeci, initially accused of witnessing the assault without intervening, was voluntarily dismissed from the suit without prejudice in January 2025.