Sean P. Diddy Combs and Cassie Ventura at an earlier engagement
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Rythm and Blues (R&B) singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, has filed a lawsuit against hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, accusing him of rape and physical abuse spanning over a decade.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, alleges a disturbing pattern of coercion through physical force, drugs, and a 2018 rape.
The court documents reveal that Ventura met Combs, also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy, in 2005 when she was just 19 and he was 37. At the time, Combs signed her to his label, Bad Boy Records, where she gained fame with hits like “Me & U” and entered into a romantic relationship with the music industry tycoon.
Describing their relationship as “an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fuelled lifestyle,” the lawsuit portrays Combs as a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man” who held power over Ventura both as her boss and as one of hip-hop’s influential figures.
Combs’s lawyer, Ben Brafman, vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to AFP, accusing Ventura of blackmail and stating that she aimed to tarnish his reputation for financial gain.
However, Douglas Wigdor, an attorney on Ventura’s legal team, countered these claims, stating that Combs had previously offered her money to prevent the lawsuit. Ventura refused the offer, choosing instead to “give a voice to all women who suffer in silence,” according to Wigdor.
Ventura, now 37, broke her silence, stating, “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.”
The lawsuit details disturbing scenes of violence, including allegations that Combs forced Ventura into engaging in sex acts with male sex workers, which she claims he filmed. Other accusations include Combs forcing her to carry a firearm in her purse for intimidation and making her uncomfortable, as well as blowing up the car of someone romantically interested in her.
The complaint specifies that the alleged rape occurred in 2018, after a dinner between Combs and Ventura. It further reveals that her association with Bad Boy Records ended in 2019.
Ventura is seeking damages for “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress,” along with lost wages. Her legal team filed the case under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, a law allowing victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits past the statute of limitations.
The law, set to expire next week, adds urgency to Ventura’s case, emphasizing the need to address the trauma she has endured and aims to recover from for the rest of her life
