Just one day after Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with a bombshell lawsuit accusing him of sex crimes and a range of physical and mental abuse allegations, the music mogul has opted to resolve the legal dispute with his ex-girlfriend and former artist, Cassie Ventura.
The news was announced on the evening of Friday, Nov. 17, with both parties releasing statements regarding the complaint resolution. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control over,” the singer said in her statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Diddy also released a statement, saying he and his ex “decided to resolve this matter amicably.”
“I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love,” his remark read.
Cassie’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, also commented on the settlement, saying, “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so.”
The settlement comes so fast the ink has barely dried on today’s LinkedIn posts from Cassie’s legal team announcing the lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/e2V5LfgXFi
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 18, 2023
The federal civil claim contained explosive allegations detailing outrageous behavior where Diddy compelled Cassie to do things she didn’t want to by force.
She asserted in the lawsuit that he not only sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, stalked her and restricted her from disentangling herself from his romantic and professional sphere, but also coerced her into engaging in sexual activities with male prostitutes as the mogul watched, masturbated and recorded videos. The complaint said Diddy called these “freak offs.”
One account of physical abuse reportedly occurred after leaving a Jay-Z party, during which the Bad Boy executive not only beat her up, but also kicked her out of the car and made her find her way home.
Cassie asserted that Diddy exerted an extreme level of control, leveraging his financial power to manipulate and govern every aspect of her life, even things like her clothes, how she looked and her personal medical records. She also said that one reason why she never called the cops on the powerful hip-hop personality was because she was afraid it “would merely give Mr. Combs another excuse to hurt her.”
Social media was just as mind-blown by the settlement as they were by the filing.
“Nobody just settles for 30 MILLION DOLLARS just like that… it’s worse than what we think,” one person on the X platform tweeted.
Another X user wondered why she settled and decided not to fight. “Don’t stay silent or sell your silence. Men need to be held accountable.”
Others didn’t mind the settlement and applauded her for taking a stand, “Cassie really did that and created a huge cultural shift and space for more conversations to be had!”
Many agreed and said they “feel like it’s gonna leak out more stuff and other people gonna come forward too wanting settlements.”
