November 17, (THEWILL) – American singer, songwriter, model, actress, and dancer, Casandra Elizabeth, aka Cassie Ventura, has sued rapper and record executive, Sean Love Combs, also known by his stage name Puff Daddy or Diddy, for physical and sexual abuse.
Cassie, who was once signed to Diddy’s label, Bad Boy Records, accused him of rape and repeated physical abuse for over a decade.
In the lawsuit filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, Cassie, who had long been Diddy’s romantic partner, alleged that not long after meeting him in 2005, when she was 19, he initiated a pattern of control and abuse.
This included plying her with drugs, physically assaulting her, and coercing her into engaging in sexual activities with multiple male prostitutes while he recorded the encounters.
According to the court filing, in 2018, near the end of their relationship, following a dinner meeting between Diddy and Ventura, he forcibly entered her apartment and committed rape despite her repeatedly saying ‘no’ and attempting to push him away.
“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,” Cassie said.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Mrs. 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, Mrs. 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,” Diddy’s lawyer, Ben Brafman, said in response to the lawsuit.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie said the parties had spoken before the suit was filed.
“Mr. Combs offered Mrs Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit,” he said, adding that “She rejected his efforts.”
Subsequently, as per the lawsuit, she ended her association with him for good. Ventura married Alex Fine, a personal trainer, the following year and now has two young children. The complaint notes that her affiliation with Bad Boy Records concluded in 2019.
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