Sean "Diddy" Combs was sued by former girlfriend and music artist Cassie in federal court Thursday. In the lawsuit, which was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura) accused her former lover of a number of crimes, including rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse.
Cassie claimed that throughout their relationship, which began in 2005 when she was 19, Diddy would ply her with drugs and alcohol, beat her, and force her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters. She also alleged that the Bad Boy founder forced his way into her apartment and raped her in 2018 towards the end of their relationship.
"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," Cassie said in a statement.
The lawsuit also alleges that she was controlled with threats of retribution, such as having her music shelved if she didn't obey Diddy's orders. It was even suggested that the music mogul was responsible for blowing up Kid Cudi's car in 2012 after finding out about Cassie dating the "Day 'n' Nite" artist. According to the lawsuit, Diddy threatened to blow up the rapper's car. Shortly thereafter, "Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway."
Kid Cudi confirmed the story through a spokeswoman, stating, "This is all true."
After multiple failed attempts, Cassie left Diddy for good after the alleged rape in 2018 and ended her association with Bad Boy the following year.
Diddy has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Ben Brafman, released a statement which said, "Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past six 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. 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’s reputation and seeking a payday."
Cassie's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, confirmed that the two parties spoke before the lawsuit was filed. However, he claimed Diddy offered Cassie eight figures in exchange for her silence, but she "rejected his efforts."
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Scroll above to view more details from the lawsuit.
Source: NY Times
