The singer Cassie filed a lawsuit against superstar rapper and music industry mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs on Thursday, alleging rape and bodily abuse.
The R&B singer, whose actual name is Casandra Ventura, claimed in her lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan that the hip-hop musician had subjected her to drugs, physical force, and coercion for more than ten years, including a 2018 rape.
Ventura, who is 19 years old and Combs, who goes by Puff Daddy or Diddy, was allegedly introduced to him in 2005, according to the lawsuit.
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She was joined to Bad Boy Records, his record label, and smash songs like “Me & U” were among her hits.
She also started dating him romantically.
The lifestyle was described in court records as “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled,” while Combs was described as “a vicious, cruel, and controlling man” who had authority over Ventura as both her supervisor and one of the major hip-hop personalities.
Ben Brafman, Combs’s attorney, “vehemently” refuted the claims in a statement to AFP, calling them “offensive and outrageous.”
Combs charged Ventura with blackmail, alleging that her goal was to get money by “tarnishing” his reputation.
Attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents Ventura, responded to that statement by stating that Combs had previously offered her money to stop a file, but she had “rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence.” We should honour Ms. Ventura for her bravery.
Wigdor continued, “No human should have to go through what Ms. Ventura has gone through.”
In a separate statement, 37-year-old Ventura declared, “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, after years in silence and darkness.”
Combs, 54, established Bad Boy in 1993 and played a significant role in the commercialization of hip-hop in the ensuing decades. Mary J. Blige and the late Notorious B.I.G. were among his protégés.
He is one of the billionaires in the hip-hop industry, partly because of his forays into the booze business.
The lawsuit calls him a violent man and details unsettling incidents of his violent outbursts, including her allegation that Combs filmed him forcing Ventura to perform sex acts with male sex workers.
Combs allegedly intimidated and unnerved Ventura by forcing her to carry a gun in her purse, according to additional claims.
It also suggests that Combs detonated the vehicle of a different person who had a love interest in Ventura.
According to court records, Combs and Ventura had dinner in 2018, at which point the billionaire broke into her flat and sexually assaulted her.
According to the complaint, she parted ways with Bad Boy in 2019.
In addition to losing pay, Ventura is requesting damages for “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress.”
Under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York statute that permits purported victims of sexual assault to pursue civil lawsuits after the statute of limitations has passed, Ventura filed her case.
The law, which expires next Monday, is cited by her legal team in the file, and Ventura made notice of its approaching end in her statement.
She stated, “It became obvious that this was an opportunity to speak out about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life as the Adult Survivors Act of New York quickly approached its expiration.”
