Bad Boy founder and hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with a federal lawsuit filed by his former artist and ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who claims that he raped her and subjected her to years of physical and sexual abuse over the course of their decade-long relationship.
Combs, in addition to his companies: Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records LLC, Epic Records, Combs Enterprises, LLC, and up to 10 employees who were witnesses to violence toward Ventura but did not intervene have all been named as defendants.
Atlanta Black Star obtained the lawsuit filed Thursday, Nov. 16, in New York, which states Combs “lured Ms. Ventura into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle and into a romantic relationship with him.”
Lawyers for the singer, who was signed to his Bad Boy label in the early 2000s, quoted Diddy’s 2022 BET Lifetime Achievement Award speech, in which he said, “I have to give a special shoutout, thank you, love, to the people that was really there for me … [a]nd also Cassie, for holding me down in the dark times, love.”
“The truth, however, is that Cassie—Ms. Casandra Ventura—was held down by Mr. Combs and endured over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed demands,” the complaint alleges. “For Ms. Ventura, the ‘dark times’ were those she spent trapped by Mr. Combs in a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking.”
The two met in 2005 when Cassie was 19 and Diddy was 37 years old and were in a relationship for close to 20 years. According to the suit, Diddy “asserted complete control over” Cassie’s personal and professional life during that time.
Throughout the suit, Cassie details multiple incidents of gruesome abuse. One event occurred at her 29th birthday party, in which Diddy invited himself to. According to Cassie, Cassie Diddy first forced himself onto her that evening. She had a boyfriend then, and Diddy was dating the mother of three of his children, Kim Porter, at the time.
Cassie alleges that Diddy raped her on numerous occasions. The most recent occurrence was in 2018 at her home after she attempted to break off their relationship.
The singer also said that he often physically abused her. In the complaint, the lawyers state she was “punched, beat, kicked and stomped … resulting in bruises, burst lips, black eyes and bleeding.” Other abuse claims allege that Diddy made the “Me & U “ recording artist “engage in sex acts with male sex workers while masturbating and filming the encounters.”
One instance recalled in the 35-page lawsuit was when the “Gotta Move On” singer beat Cassie up after leaving a party with rapper Jay-Z.
“After a party with Jay-Z, Mr. Combs beat Ms. Ventura repeatedly in an Escalade, including by kicking and hitting her,” the complaint said, adding, “He forced her out of the vehicle on Fifth Avenue in New York City.”
As a result of her time with the music producer, Cassie says she was sucked into a lifestyle of excessive alcohol and substance abuse which required her to procure illicit prescriptions to satisfy his addictions.
Cassie's lawsuit against Puff Daddy has a "trigger warning" on the front page.
— Armon Wiggins (@ArmonWiggins) November 16, 2023
"This document contains highly graphic information of a sexual nature, including sexual assault” pic.twitter.com/QYzxnod7aT
The lawsuit further contends that Diddy, after finding out that a musician (believed to be Kid Cudi) liked Cassie, blew up his car.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Ben Brafman, Diddy’s lawyer, said in a statement to CNN. “For the past 6 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.”
His lawyer added, “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’ reputation and seeking a payday.”
Cassie, who left Diddy’s label in 2019, says that she is just seeking justice and finally wants to be heard.
“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 said in a comment.
She noted there was urgency connected to her lawsuit and speaking out.
“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,” she said.
The NYAS Act was created in 2022 to allow adult sexual abuse survivors the chance to sue their abuser in court despite the statute of limitations having expired. Survivors were given one year to file paperwork against the offender, which ends the day after Thanksgiving on Nov. 24.
But Cassie wants Diddy held responsible for years of using the repeated practice “our thing” and “our secret.” The lawsuit also accuses him of making sexual requests in the bedroom and recording her while she was with other men. It details how scared she was of Diddy using the weight of his name and temper to control her.
In addition, court documents state the many times she attempted to flee from Combs, and he’d use his “network of enforcers” to “lure” her or “force her to come back. There was also the mention of a 2015 incident in a hotel where she screamed from being beaten by Diddy, but no one could hear her over the loud music.
“When Mr. Combs’s head of security and assistant saw Ms. Ventura after the
assault, they began to cry,” the complaint stated. “Ms. Ventura had two black eyes, a burst and bruised lip, and a huge welt on her forehead.”
A year later, while inebriated, the entertainer allegedly gave Cassie another black eye at another hotel, which led to an argument in the hallway where he threw glass at her. The suit claims Diddy paid “$50,000 for the hallway security footage from that evening.”
Ventura is also seeking monetary damages as well as compensation for her attorney fees. She is now married to fitness trainer Alex Fine and they share two children.
