Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against her ex-partner Sean “Diddy” Combs in November 2023, alleging that he had sexually assaulted her and physically abused her.
During her time with Diddy, the singer of “Me & U” said that she was trapped in a “cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking” that lasted for ten years. This included a rape that occurred in 2018 after she attempted to escape him.
In a statement, she said, “After years of remaining silent and in the shadows, I am finally ready to tell my story and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.” She said that she was finally ready to tell her tale.
Cassie said, “With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.” He was referring to the fact that the end of the act was quickly coming.
The case was resolved the next day in New York City; however, in May of 2024, a video emerged showing the rapper reportedly violently abusing the vocalist who was featured in the song “Me & U.”
In the complaint that Cassie filed, she made mention to the confrontation that was recorded on film. She claimed that in March of 2016, “Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, causing her to have a black eye.”
At the time that the accusations were made, Diddy denied any wrongdoing, and his attorney, Ben Brafman, issued a statement to PEOPLE in which he described the allegations as “offensive and outrageous.”
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Brafman said in his statement. “Ms. Ventura’s demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail.”
He concluded by saying, “Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’ reputation, and seeking a pay day.”
Here is all you need to know about the allegations that Cassie made against Diddy in her lawsuit.
During the course of her lawsuit, which was acquired by PEOPLE, Cassie revealed how, after meeting Diddy in 2005, when she was 19 years old and he was 37 years old, she signed to his record company, Bad Boy Records. Subsequently, he reportedly ordered “complete control” of her life, “thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold.”
According to the lawsuit, she claimed that by the year 2007, he had exerted pressure on her to begin dating him, and that she had done so out of fear of reprisal. Cassie said that throughout the time that they were together, he would give her “copious amounts of drugs” and would display “uncontrollable rage” while “frequently beating Ms. Ventura savagely.”
Additionally, she said that she was compelled to conceal herself in hotels for a period of several days until the bruises on her body disappeared, and that she finally “began to blindly follow his instructions out of fear of once again being on the receiving end of a vicious beating.”
Other claimed incidents of abuse and “freak offs,” which Cassie described as situations in which Diddy wanted to watch the singer engage in sexual activities with sex workers, were also revealed by Cassie. She stated that both of these terms refer to the same thing. It was her assertion that the meetings “always” involved the use of alcoholic beverages, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, and other drugs.
after the year 2018, Cassie said that she had made an attempt to leave Diddy for the last time. However, after she had ended her relationship with him after dinner, he reportedly pushed his way into her house and sexually assaulted her.
According to the lawsuit, “Ms. Ventura has now completely escaped Mr. Combs; however, the harm that it caused her to experience as a result of the assaults and sexual abuse that he caused her to experience for nearly a decade will forever haunt her.” It has been necessary for her to get intense medical and psychological treatment in order for her to recuperate from the trauma that she has experienced.
A solution that was to the “mutual satisfaction” of both parties was reached by the vocalists on November 17, 2023, one day after her complaint was submitted.
Cassie issued a statement in which she claimed, “I have made the decision to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control over over.” “I would like to express my gratitude to my family, fans, and attorneys for their unwavering support.”
Her legal representative, Douglas Wigdor, offered the following statement: “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit.” This is something that she should be congratulated for accomplishing.
Furthermore, the attorney for Diddy said that the deal was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing or misconduct.”
An amicable resolution to this situation has been resolved upon, according to a statement released by Diddy. Cassie and her family have my warmest wishes for the future. To love”
In the months that followed the case that was resolved, a number of other charges and lawsuits were made against Diddy. These lawsuits and accusations culminated in the United States Department of Homeland Security conducting a search warrant at his residence in March of 2024.
CNN revealed video evidence from an altercation that took place in March 2016 at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, which is now shuttered. The incident took place two months later. When Diddy came after Cassie and tossed her to the ground, the security tape showed her trying to exit her hotel room and heading down the hallway toward the elevator. Diddy then flung her to the ground.
Diddy kicked Cassie forcefully as she was lying immobile on the ground. He then picked up her handbag and baggage before kicking her once again. After that, he grabbed her and made an effort to pull her in the direction of his hotel room. After that, he let her go and sat down on a chair. As seen in the video, he proceeded to remove an item from a table in order to hurl it at her.
After that, Diddy started walking away when the doors of the elevator opened and someone got out of the elevator.
A depiction of the incident that Cassie recounted in her complaint is consistent with the altercation that took place before.
“After he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but as she exited, Mr. Combs awoke and began screaming at Ms. Ventura,” the lawsuit said in its complaint. “While he was raging at her, he followed her into the corridor of the hotel. During the time that she was running to the elevator to get away, he caught her and then pulled glass vases from the corridor and flung them at her, causing glass to smash around them.
In accordance with the complaint, Cassie departed the hotel by use the elevator and then hailing a taxi.
Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the purpose of apologizing for running away from her abuser, according to the lawsuit. “Upon realizing that her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her, and completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse,” the complaint said. “When she returned, the hotel security staff urged her to get back into a cab and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway,” the article said.
In addition, the complaint said that Diddy reportedly paid the hotel a sum of fifty thousand dollars for the surveillance film that captured the altercation in the corridor.
Following the publication of the video in March 2024, IHG Hotels issued a statement to PEOPLE in which they said, “This hotel is no longer under IHG management, and we do not have any access to prior incident records or footage.”
Douglas Wigdor, Cassie’s attorney, paid tribute to the singer for her “courage” in sharing her tale, despite the fact that Cassie has not yet commented on the film that has been made public.
In addition to further confirming Mr. Combs’s terrible and predatory conduct, the gut-wrenching video has also provided fresh evidence. “The bravery and determination that Ms. Ventura has displayed in coming forward to bring this to light cannot be adequately expressed through the use of words,” he added in a statement that was also shared with PEOPLE.
A representative for Diddy did not immediately reply to a request for comment that was made by People.
