R&B singer Cassie, who was once signed to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy record label, has accused him of rape and repeated physical abuse in a lawsuit filed in federal court.
The New York Times reported
that Cassie, full name Cassandra Ventura, filed the suit in Federal District Court in Manhattan and alleged that not long after meeting the hip-hop music mogul and Revolt owner in 2005, when she was 19, he began a pattern of control and abuse against her that included plying her with drugs, physically beating her, and forcing her to have sex with a group of male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters.Additionally, the suit stated in 2018 Combs forced his way into her home and raped her.
“After years in silence and darkness, 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,” Ventura said in a statement.
According to the suit, Combs not only controlled her career but paid for her car, apartment, and clothing. He also had access to her personal medical records, including an MRI scan she had that went directly to the music producer.
The suit also stated the Bad Boy founder provided Ventura with “copious amounts
of drugs” including ecstasy, and urged her to take them. Allegedly he was often violent, beating her “multiple times each year.” Ventura never went to the police, fearing it would give Combs even more incentive to hurt her.Combs’ attorney Ben Brafman denied the allegations in a statement to the Times.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail. 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’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Ventura, told the outlet that Combs offered the R&B singer eight figures to prevent her from filing this lawsuit, but she rejected the offer.
The lawsuit is one of several sexual assault civil suits filed recently against some of the most notable men in the music industry, including Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler; music executive and LaFace Records co-founder, L.A. Reid; and Neil Portnow, who once headed the organization behind the Grammy Awards.
Ventura named additional defendants in the suit who she said helped Combs control the “Long Way 2 Go” singer by threatening to suppress her music.
Combs and Ventura separated in 2018, and eight months later she started a relationship with personal trainer Alex Fine. In June 2019 the couple announced they were expecting their first child. Two months after that, the couple announced their engagement. They welcomed their second child in 2021,
The suit seeks unspecified damages.
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