Cassie (Photo via Instagram @cassie)/Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
R&B singer Cassie Ventura, professionally known as Cassie, has filed a lawsuit against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, leveling disturbing allegations of rape, physical abuse, sex trafficking, and even an incident involving rapper Kid Cudi. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Federal Court, revolves around what Cassie claims was a tumultuous and abusive relationship she had with Diddy that spanned over a decade.
Cassie and Diddy split for good in October 2018.
Cassie alleges that she met Diddy in 2005 when she was just 19 years old and signed with his label, Bad Boy Records. Over the years, she claims that she was lured into a destructive relationship characterized by an “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle.” According to Cassie, this relationship was marred by physical abuse, with Diddy punching, beating, kicking, and stomping on her, resulting in bruises, burst lips, black eyes, and bleeding, CBS News reported. She even alleges he raped her when she tried to break off the relationship.
Cassie asserts that during a “rough patch” in their relationship, she briefly dated rapper Kid Cudi in 2011. When Diddy discovered emails between her and Kid Cudi, Cassie claims that Diddy threatened to blow up Kid Cudi’s car.
Through a spokeswoman, Kid Cudi confirmed Cassie’s account to The New York Times that he had a car that exploded.
“This is all true,” Kid Cudi said.
The lawsuit alleges that Diddy coerced Cassie into participating in what he called “Freak Off” sessions with male prostitutes. These encounters involved masquerade masks, drugs, and explicit sexual acts. Diddy allegedly watched, directed, and filmed these sessions while masturbating. Cassie also claims she was forced to facilitate these sessions by finding male sex workers through escort services, sometimes searching specifically for “large black penises.”
Cassie also contends that Diddy introduced her to drugs, including ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, and marijuana. Furthermore, the lawsuit states that Diddy has been addicted to prescription painkillers and frequently used ecstasy.
In response to these shocking allegations, Diddy’s attorney, Ben Brafman, vehemently denied the claims. Brafman told The New York 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.”
Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, countered these claims by asserting that Diddy had indeed offered Cassie a significant sum of money in exchange for her silence, but she chose to speak out in order to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence.
In a statement to ET, Cassie says, “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.” She adds, “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.”
The Adult Survivors Act (ASA) is New York State legislation enacted in May 2022 which amends state law to allow alleged victims of sexual offenses for which the statute of limitations has lapsed to file civil suits for a one-year period, from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023. Thus, Cassie reasoning, according to her lawyer, for filing now.
Cassie (Photo via Instagram @cassie)/Sean “Diddy” Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
