Warning: The following article mentions sexual abuse. Please read with caution.
The New York Times has reported that on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023 a lawsuit against hop-hop musician Sean Combs was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The suit alleges that Combs — who performs as Diddy or Puff Daddy — repeatedly assaulted and sexually abused a woman for about a decade.
Casandra Ventura, better known as Cassie, filed the suit, and is a one-time romantic partner of Combs and a singer formerly signed to Combs’ record label, Bad Boy Records. From the time Ventura was around 19 years old, the suit says Combs sexually and physically abused Ventura, and forced her to take drugs, among other allegations. Ventura also alleges that Combs once blew up the car of his romantic rival. Combs and Ventura reportedly met around 2005, and in 2018, Ventura says Combs raped her. Their relationship broke off after that.
Music industry colleagues of Combs are also named in Ventura’s lawsuit, alleging they played a part in Ventura’s prolonged abuse. In a statement, Ventura said (via The Times), “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.” Through his lawyer, Ben Brafman said Combs “vehemently” denied Ventura’s allegations.
Combs’ lawyer accused Ventura of blackmail
In the statement responding to Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s lawsuit against his client, Combs’ lawyer Ben Brafman accused Ventura of threatening to write a book about what happened between her and the star, which Brafman called an attempt at blackmail. Brafman alleged that Ventura tried to get as much as $30 million from Combs in the months leading up to the lawsuit. “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 added (via The Times).
In the past, Ventura’s accusations against Combs would have been past the statute of limitations in New York state, but since The Adult Survivor’s Act passed in 2022, the civil suit was allowed to move forward, CNBC reported. Earlier in 2023, E. Jean Carroll won a sexual harassment civil suit against former President Donald Trump in New York because of the same legislation (via The Associated Press).
Referring to the suit, Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor said (via CNBC), “[Ventura’s] ability and willingness to speak up against the abuse she suffered, and seeking to hold accountable her abuser and those who enabled the abuse, is a testament to her strength and resilience. We are honored to represent this brave victim in her pursuit of justice.”
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
