Celebrity News
In a shocking turn of events, a lawsuit brought to federal court on Thursday (Nov. 16), R&B singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura accuses rapper and media mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape and subjecting her to years of control and abuse throughout their decade-long relationship.
Per The New York Times, Cassie, who was a signed artist under Diddy's label and 19 at the time they met, alleges in her suit against the famed record executive that she experienced a cycle of abuse and control from Diddy starting not long after they met in 2005 and later signed to Bad Boy.
According to the filing, this reportedly included several incidents of physical abuse (the filing notes beatings that occurred "multiple times each year") as well as forcing her to engage in sexual encounters with male prostitutes where he watched and filmed the acts as a part of his "voyeurism" fantasy that was referred to as "freak offs" by Diddy according to the documents. Cassie also alleges being raped toward the end of their relationship in 2018.
The lawsuit asserts that Diddy kept Cassie plied with "copious amounts of drugs," including ketamine and ecstasy, drugs that "allowed her to disassociate." Due to the alleged violence and beatings she would receive, the lawsuit notes that she was fearful that seeking help from law enforcement "would merely give Mr. Combs another excuse to hurt her."
Additionally, Cassie claims in her lawsuit that Diddy's control included having access to her medical records, paying for her car, her clothes, and her apartment, and beating her as a means of intimidation or retribution in incidents where she didn't adhere to his methods of control. "Ms. Ventura felt that saying ‘no’ to Mr. Combs would cost her something — her family, her friends, her career, or even her life," the suit reads.
The 37-year-old "Me & U" singer detailed an incident that happened involving rapper Kid Cudi, whom she briefly dated in 2011 during a time she and Diddy had cooled off their relationship. Diddy became irate after discovering their email correspondences on her phone. Cassie tried to run away at the time, but "feeling like she could not escape Mr. Combs and his network of enforcers, Ms. Ventura returned to Mr. Combs," the suit says. "He hit her several times, and then kicked her in the back as she tried to run out the door."
The suit goes on to say that in 2012, Diddy threatened to blow up Kid Cudi's car "and that he wanted to ensure that Kid Cudi was home with his friends when it happened," the lawsuit states. "Around that time, Kid Cuid's car exploded in his driveway," the suit went on to say.
Since news of her lawsuit broke, Kid Cudi has confirmed Cassie's claims of what went down. "This is all true," the "Rose Golden" rapper said in a statement via a spokesperson.
"In one incident described in the court papers, Cassie says that in early 2012, Diddy grew so angry about her dating Kid Cudi that he said he would blow up the rapper’s car. “Around that time,” the suit says, “Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.”
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 16, 2023
Through a spokeswoman, Kid… pic.twitter.com/11j0RSgdZl
Regarding Thursday's filing, Cassie shared a statement within the legal document where she 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.”
Diddy has responded to the lawsuit, calling the allegations "offensive and outrageous" and implying that it's all blackmail. In a statement for Diddy, his lawyer, Ben Brafman said, "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," Brafman adds.
The damages Cassie is seeking with her filing have not been specified, but her suit was filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which allows people who claim to be victims of sexual offenses to file lawsuits even if the statute of limitations has expired.
"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," Cassie said in her filing.
Sending prayers of protection over Cassie and her family during this time.
For additional details, read the New York Times article here. You can also read the lawsuit in full here.
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