Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against her ex-partner, Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of sexual assault and physical abuse.
The “Me & U” singer claimed that during her relationship with Diddy, she endured a decade-long cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking, including a rape in 2018 after she attempted to leave him. Cassie filed this lawsuit in November 2023 accusing Diddy of sexual and physical assault, which was settled until May 2024 when a video surfaced of the rapper allegedly physically assaulting her.
“After years of silence and darkness, I am finally ready to share my story and speak out for myself and other women who experience violence and abuse in their relationships,” she said in a statement.
Cassie added, “With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act approaching, it became clear that this was a crucial opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have endured and will continue to recover from for the rest of my life.” In her lawsuit, Cassie referenced the altercation that was captured by the video, alleging that in March 2016, “Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face giving her a black eye.”
In her report, Cassie narrated how after meeting Diddy in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37, she signed to his record label, Bad Boy Records, after which point he allegedly commanded “complete control” of her life, “thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold.
By 2007, she claimed that he coerced her into dating him, a decision she made out of fear of retaliation, according to the complaint. Throughout their relationship, Cassie alleged that he provided her with large quantities of drugs and displayed uncontrollable rage, often subjecting her to severe physical abuse.
She added that she was allegedly forced to hide in hotels for days until her bruises healed, eventually feeling compelled to follow his instructions blindly out of fear of further violent beatings.
Cassie also described other instances of abuse, including “freak offs,” a term Diddy used for occasions when he wanted to watch her engage in sexual acts with sex workers. These encounters, she said, always involved drug use, including ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, and alcohol.
In 2018, Cassie attempted to leave Diddy for the final time. After breaking up with him at dinner, he allegedly forced his way into her home and raped her.
WHEN DID CASSIE SETTLE THE LAWSUIT AGAINST DIDDY?
A day filing her complaint, Cassie and diddy reached a settlement to their “mutual satisfaction” on November 17, 2023.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control over,” Cassie said in a statement. “I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, added, “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She deserves commendation for doing so.”
Diddy’s lawyer added that the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
“We have decided to resolve this matter amicably,” Diddy said in a statement. “I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
WHAT WAS THE CONTENT OF THE VIDEO THAT SURFACED IN MAY 2024?
In the months following the settled lawsuit, several more accusations and lawsuits were filed against Diddy. This led to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raiding his home in March 2024.
Two months later, CNN released video footage from a March 2016 incident at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. The surveillance video showed Cassie trying to leave her hotel room and walking toward the elevator when Diddy chased her down the hallway and threw her to the ground.
While Cassie lay still on the ground, Diddy kicked her hard and took her purse and suitcase. He kicked her again, grabbed her, and tried to drag her toward his hotel room. Then he let her go and sat in a chair. According to the video, he picked up an object from a table and threw it at her.
Diddy walked away when the elevator doors opened and someone stepped out.
The altercation matches what Cassie described in her lawsuit.
“After he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but Mr. Combs woke up and started yelling at her,” the lawsuit stated. “He followed her into the hotel hallway, still yelling. He grabbed her and threw glass vases at her, causing glass to shatter around them as she ran to the elevator to escape.”
CASSIE’S RESPONSE TO THE VIDEO
A week after the video came out, Cassie shared on Instagram, thanking everyone “for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers, and those I haven’t met yet.”
She said that the love she received “makes me feel safe now,” but this is just “the start.”
“Domestic violence is a big problem. It made me someone I never thought I’d be,” she wrote. “With hard work, I’m better now, but I’m always healing from the past. This healing journey never stops, but the support means everything to me.”
Cassie finished her post by urging people to believe victims “right away” and offering her “hand” to those still “living in fear.”
DIDDY’S RESPONSE;
A couple of days after the hotel video came out, Diddy shared a video on his Instagram, finally talking about what happened.
“It’s really hard to look back on the worst times in your life,” he said. “But sometimes you have to. I was in a bad place. I hit rock bottom, but that’s not an excuse. What I did in that video was wrong, and I take full responsibility.”
He went on, “I was disgusted with myself then, and I still am now. I got help, went to therapy, and rehab. I had to ask God for forgiveness. I’m really sorry, but I’m committed to being a better person every single day.”
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