Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, has filed a lawsuit against the rap mogul claiming he raped her in 2018 near the end of their relationship.
According to legal documents obtained by ET, Cassie claims Diddy began a pattern of control and abuse within a few years of signing her to his Bad Boy records label. She claims Diddy “lured” her “into an “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him — her boss, one of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry, and a vicious, cruel, and controlling man nearly two decades her senior.”
She claims Diddy’s control over her included him introducing her “to a lifestyle of excessive alcohol and substance abuse and required her to procure illicit prescriptions to satisfy his own addictions.” Among the number allegations made in the 35-page lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan Federal Court includes claims that Diddy would often punch, beat, kick and stomp on her, resulting in bruises, burst lips, black eyes and bleeding.
The R&B singer “was held down by Mr. Combs and endured over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed the demands,” the court documents state, in which she also claims she was “trapped” by his “cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking.”
Cassie also claims Diddy would force her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers while masturbating and filming the encounters, which the singer claimed Diddy referred to as a “freak off,” or “FO.” She claims Diddy “would repeatedly tell Ms. Ventura at random moments that he wanted an FO, and Ms. Ventura was eventually expected to facilitate the location and the hiring of male sex workers.”
In a statement to ET, Diddy’s attorney, Ben Brafman, said his client “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.”
“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,” Brafman continues. “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 pay day.”
The New York Times first to report the lawsuit.
The singer, who was once signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label, went public with her relationship with Diddy in 2012, though they were romantically linked as far back as 2007. In 2008, they collaborated on his song, “Swagga Like Puff,” and in 2009, they worked together on her song, “Must Be Love.” They split in October 2018.
But shortly before their split, Cassie claims in court documents that Diddy forced his way into her home “and raped her while she repeatedly said ‘no’ and tried to push him away.'”
Cassie claims she’s required intensive medical and psychological care to recover from the trauma she lived through. In court documents, Cassie claims Diddy had her personal medical records sent directly to his email address, records she says noted memory loss “potentially due to excessive drug use and/or head injuries.”
For instance, Cassie claims Diddy became so enraged in January 2009 — after the rap mogul learned she had spoken to another music manager at a party in Los Angeles — that he pushed her into a car and stomped on her face. She claims his security staff “tried to stop the beating, but was unable to deescalate the situation.” She further claims that when the car arrived at his residence she tried to run away, but he followed behind her and again kicked her in the face. She claims she was “bleeding profusely, and was ushered into Mr. Combs’ home, where she began to throw up from the violent assault.”
The court documents further claim, “Upon recognizing the damage he had done and the physical evidence of his abuse, Mr. Combs panicked, and forced his staff to bring Ms. Ventura to a hotel suite at The London Hotel in Los Angeles, where she was required to stay for a week.”
She also claims that during a brief relationship with rapper Kid Cudi in 2011, Diddy became so enraged after discovering emails between her and Kid Cudi that he placed “a manual corkscrew between his fingers and lunged at” her.”
After enduring more alleged physical abuse at the hands of Diddy, Cassie claims she went home to her parent’s home in Connecticut where her mother took pictures of the bruises on her body.
Then, in February 2012 during Paris Fashion Week, Cassie claims Diddy told her he was going to blow up Kid Cudi’s car “and that he wanted to ensure that Kid Cudi was home with his friends when it happened. Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.”
ET has reached out to Kid Cudi for comment.
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.”
In a statement to ET, Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said, “No human should have to endure what Ms. Ventura has endured. Her 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.”
In his statement to ET, Wigdor claims “Mr. Combs offered Ms. Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit. She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.
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