Sean “Diddy” Combs was defended by his attorney Benjamin Brafman after settling a federal lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie.
Cassie filed a lawsuit Thursday, claiming she was trafficked, raped, drugged and brutally beaten by Diddy multiple times over the course of 10 years.
But on Friday evening, Diddy and Cassie – aka Casandra Ventura – announced they had reached an agreement. Specific details about the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
“Just so we’re clear: a decision to settle a lawsuit, particularly in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Diddy’s lawyer said in a statement to .
‘Mister. “Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit in no way undermines his categorical denial of the claims,” Brafman continued. “He is pleased that they have reached an amicable agreement and wishes Ms. Ventura all the best.”
Resolution: Sean “Diddy” Combs was defended by his attorney Benjamin Brafman after settling a federal lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie
“Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, particularly in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” said Brafman, pictured in 2018 representing Harvey Weinstein
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on the understanding that I have some degree of control,” Cassie said in her own statement. “I would like to thank my family, fans and advocates for their unwavering support.”
Meanwhile, Combs announced, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably.” I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.’
On Thursday, Cassie accused Diddy of rape and repeated physical abuse. Cassie claimed he controlled and abused her for over a decade – as well as giving her drugs, beating her and forcing her to have sex with several male prostitutes as he watched and recorded.
The couple, who met in 2005 when she was 19, separated in 2018. The lawsuit alleged that shortly before their relationship ended, he forcibly entered her home and raped her.
Diddy, 54, vehemently denied all of the “offensive and outrageous allegations.”
Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, said in a legal document filed Thursday in Manhattan Federal District Court: “After years of silence and darkness.” “Finally, I am ready to tell my story and myself for myself themselves and for the benefit of other women who are exposed to violence and abuse in their relationships.”
Her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, claimed that Diddy “offered her eight sums of money to silence her and prevent this lawsuit from being filed,” but that she refused to “give a voice to all women who suffer in silence.”
On Friday evening, Wigdor added: “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She deserves praise for that.”
The couple, who met in 2005 when she was 19, separated in 2018. The lawsuit alleges that shortly before their relationship ended, Combs broke into her home and raped her
Among the serious allegations are that Combs trafficked 37-year-old Cassie with male prostitutes to fulfill his voyeuristic fantasies in hotels and at his home
Among the serious allegations was that Diddy sold Cassie, 37, to male prostitutes to live out his voyeuristic fantasies in hotels and at his home.
The lawsuit alleged that she was instructed to have sex with multiple men – sometimes in masks and costumes – while the music manager watched, masturbated and filmed.
In the documents, Cassie referred to the ordeals as “horrific encounters” and said she had to take drugs to distance herself from her during the arrangements, which Diddy allegedly referred to as “freak offs.”
The lawsuit said the music manager she met as a teenager told her it would “turn him on” if he saw her with “another ass.”
He allegedly hired a man and brought him to his home in Los Angeles to have sex with Cassie.
‘Mister. “Combs directed Ms. Ventura to perform sexual acts with this man while Mr. Combs watched her,” the lawsuit states.
“He masturbated while instructing Ms. Ventura and the man to perform certain sexual acts.” “The entire encounter lasted several days.”
She claimed Diddy was drunk during a “freak-off” in March 2016 and punched her in the face, leaving her with a black eye.
Cassie said she tried to leave the hotel room when he fell asleep, but he woke up and started yelling at her.
He allegedly grabbed her, picked up the glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, “causing glass to shatter around her as she ran to the elevator to escape.”
She managed to escape to her apartment, but claimed she returned because she was afraid he would get angrier.
“When she returned, hotel security personnel urged her to get back into a taxi and go to her apartment, indicating that they had seen the security footage that showed Mr. Combs hitting Ms. Ventura and glass in the hotel hallway threw at them,” said the plaintiff.
Cassie claimed that throughout their relationship, Diddy was “prone to uncontrollable anger” and frequently hit her.
The rapper, who goes by P Diddy, is said to have controlled and abused Cassie for over a decade – as well as drugging her, beating her and forcing her to have sex with several male prostitutes on video
She claimed Diddy paid hotel staff $50,000 for the hallway security footage from that evening.
In a separate incident in 2013, Diddy was alleged to have staged a “freak-off” and was ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages by the hotel.
Cassie was expected to facilitate the search for and hiring of male sex workers for the “Freak Offs,” the lawsuit says.
She was allegedly instructed to use websites and escort services to find men with “big black penises.”
It claimed that Diddy would insist on the weekly encounters and that he had repeatedly told her that it was “our thing” and “our secret.”
Cassie claimed the “freak offs” often take place in hotel suites, including the Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle, L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, the London Hotel in Los Angeles and InterContinental hotels across the country.
His assistants would supposedly help set up the “Freak Offs” by providing baby oil and lubricant.
The lawsuit states: “Mr. Combs always supplied Ms. Ventura (and the sex worker) with copious amounts of drugs before and during the FOs.
‘MS. Ventura was given excessive amounts of ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana and alcohol during the FOs, which allowed her to distance herself during these horrific encounters.
The lawsuit alleges that she was instructed to have sex with multiple men – sometimes in masks and costumes – while the music manager watched, masturbated and filmed
Cassie referred to the ordeals in the documents as “horrific encounters” and said she had to take drugs to distance herself during the arrangements, which Diddy allegedly referred to as “freak offs.”
She claimed she tried to escape him several times but was found by Diddy’s “vast network of companies and affiliates” who told her to go back to him
The lawsuit alleges that the music producer she met as a teenager told her it would “turn him on” if he saw her with “another asshole.”
“In the days following an FO, it became common to receive intravenous fluids to recover from the excessive substances that were imposed on her.”
Cassie was allegedly required to dress in underwear and wear white nail polish for the sexual encounters to contrast with the skin of the black male sex workers.
She claimed Diddy would ask her to pour excessive amounts of oil on herself before telling her and the sex workers what to do.
‘Mister. Combs said things like, “Grab this big black cock,” and asked her, “How does that feel?” as he directed her to perform for him,” the lawsuit says.
Diddy reportedly used his phone, laptop and tablet to film the “Freak Offs” and treated it like a “personal art project” by adjusting the lighting.
Cassie said she deleted photos and videos of the sexual acts when they were taken on her phone, but claimed Diddy told her he kept many.
The lawsuit also alleges that he asked Cassie to carry his gun in her purse on at least two occasions.
Diddy is said to have given her ecstasy and ketamine and often beat her. She never told the authorities because it was “Mr. “It would just give Combs another excuse to hurt her.”
Cassie claimed that Diddy blew up Kid Cudi’s car around February 2012 after he found out they were in a relationship.
She claimed he went through her phone and found emails between her and the American rapper and became angry.
He allegedly hired a man and brought him to his home in Los Angeles to have sex with Cassie
Diddy allegedly stuck a manual corkscrew between his fingers and lunged at her, the lawsuit says, and she ran away to stay with Kid Cudi.
Cassie later returned and the music manager allegedly punched her several times and then kicked her in the back as she tried to run out the door.
She claims Diddy told her during Paris Fashion Week that he was going to blow up Kid Cudi’s car and that he wanted to make sure he was home with his friends when it happened.
“At approximately this time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway,” the lawsuit states.
‘MS. Ventura was horrified as she began to fully understand what Mr. Combs was both willing and capable of doing to those he believed had insulted him.’
In August 2015, Diddy allegedly picked up her friend “like a child” and left her hanging over a 17th-floor balcony while she drunkenly attended Cassie’s surprise 29th birthday dinner.
Cassie claimed Diddy forced her to stay at his Holmby Hills home with one of his sons after a beating.
“While he was there, Mr. Combs FaceTimed Ms. Ventura and said, ‘You need to go upstairs and put more makeup on, my son can’t see you like this,'” the lawsuit states.
Cassie also claims that Diddy would threaten to suppress her music if she didn’t obey his “violent” commands. He also paid for her car and apartment and had access to her personal medical records, the lawsuit says.
She claimed he raped her in September 2018 and forcibly entered her apartment after dinner in Malibu, California.
He allegedly tried to kiss her before forcibly removing her clothing and unbuckling his belt.
“He raped Ms. Ventura while she repeatedly said ‘no’ and attempted to push him away,” the lawsuit says.
After that alleged incident, Cassie said she took steps to completely separate herself from “her long-time abuser.”
She eventually left the house he paid for and returned the car he bought for her.
But Cassie said she is suffering enormous emotional distress due to the “immense trauma she endured over a decade with Mr. Combs.”
The lawsuit alleged that Diddy got Cassie high for the first time in September 2007 when he gave her an Ecstasy pill.
It said the couple were once using drugs at their Los Angeles home when one of Diddy’s security guards burst in and told him that his “longtime rival,” record executive Suge Knight, had been spotted at Mel’s Drive-In Diner in Los Angeles be.
The duo had been together for 11 years since Cassie was 19
He allegedly got dressed, grabbed several guns from a safe and ran off to find where Knight supposedly had dinner, leaving Cassie frightened and in tears.
The lawsuit alleges that Diddy “used his money and power to go to extensive lengths to hide the evidence of his abuse” by forcing Cassie to hide in hotels for days to avoid her bruises can heal.
It is alleged he repeatedly beat her in an Escalade, kicking and punching her after a party with Jay-Z.
The lawsuit alleges that Diddy attacked her in January 2009 after he discovered she had been talking to another music executive at a party in Los Angeles.
“In the car leaving the club, Mr. Combs struck Ms. Ventura, pushed her into the corner of the vehicle and stomped on her face,” it said.
‘Mister. Combs’ security guard, Roger Bonds, attempted to stop the beating but was unable to defuse the situation.
She was said to be bleeding profusely and tried to escape before being led into Diddy’s house, where she began vomiting.
“When Mr. Combs realized the damage he had caused and the physical evidence of his abuse, he panicked and forced his staff to take Ms. Ventura to a hotel suite at the London Hotel in Los Angeles, where they would stay for a week had to week,” the lawsuit says.
Cassie claimed she asked to go home to her parents but wasn’t allowed to go, so she lied to her mother when she asked her about an online gossip forum that reported the alleged assault.
She said she was “scared, isolated and unable to see a way out.” “She found herself becoming numb to the abuse she was experiencing and completely submitting to Mr. Combs’ demands,” the lawsuit says.
“She began to blindly follow his instructions for fear of falling victim to brutal beatings again.”
“Cassie — Ms. “Casandra Ventura — was held down by Mr. Combs and endured over a decade of his violent behavior and deranged demands,” the lawsuit says.
“For Ms. Ventura, the ‘dark times’ were those spent trapped in a cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking by Mr. Combs.”
Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura in May 2017
“He lured Ms. Ventura into a flashy, hectic, 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.” A man nearly two decades her senior .’
Cassie claimed that throughout their relationship she was “prone to uncontrollable anger” and frequently hit her.
“These beatings were witnessed by Mr. Combs’ employees and employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Mr. Combs’ affiliated companies, but no one dared speak out against their fearsome and cruel boss,” the lawsuit said.
“He often showered her with gifts following incidents of physical violence, a typical pattern of behavior among serial offenders.”
“To add insult to injury, Mr. Combs used illegal substances and threatened violence to force Ms. Ventura into repeated unwanted sexual encounters with male sex workers.”
She claimed she tried to escape him several times but was found by Diddy’s “vast network of companies and affiliates” who told her to go back to him.
Cassie said that although she has “completely escaped” Diddy, “the damage caused by the assault and sexual abuse he inflicted on her for nearly a decade will haunt her forever.”
The lawsuit claimed she needed intensive medical and psychological care to recover from the “trauma she experienced.”
She is demanding unspecified damages. The lawsuit is filed under the Adult Survivors Act – a New York law that allows people to file claims even after the statute of limitations has expired.
The lawsuit said: “As the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act drew ever closer, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak about the trauma I have experienced and from which I will spend the rest of my life recovering.” become.”
Ben Brafman, Diddy’s lawyer, said: “Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.
“Over the last six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demands for $30 million under threats to write a damaging book about their relationship, which has been clearly dismissed as blatant blackmail.”
But her lawyer Wigdor told : “Mr. Combs offered Ms. Ventura eight sums to silence her and prevent this lawsuit from being filed. She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence. “Ms. Ventura should be commended for her courage.”
The lawsuit points to an event in 2009 in which Combs saw her talking to another agent, whereupon he pushed her into a car and repeatedly kicked her in the face until she was bloody
Diddy, a three-time Grammy winner who also performs under the stage name Puff Daddy, is worth an estimated $1 billion after being a star figure in the commercialization of hip-hop in the 1990s.
He became one of the most important music producers of his generation – working with names such as Notorious BIG, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112. He built one of the largest hip hop empires and paved the way for several entities associated with his famous name.
The mogul founded the Sean John clothing line, launched the music-focused television channel Revolt and produced the reality show “Making the Band” for MTV.
This year, he released his fifth studio album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” which received two Grammy nominations this month.
Forbes magazine ranked him the highest-paid musician in the world in 2017, earning an estimated $130 million per year at the time.
Diddy founded Bad Boy – his record label – to which Cassie was signed in 2006.
Cassie has now married Alex Fine and has two children with him.
She was fascinated by his luxurious lifestyle and benefited from releasing her debut album under his label.
Diddy is no stranger to lawsuits – but they often involve his alcohol brands.
In May this year, he sued spirits maker Diageo, saying its vodka and tequila brands were not receiving promised investments while being treated as inferior “urban” products.
The hip-hop couple, who split after a decade of dating, are pictured at the Met Gala in 2018
The lawsuit, filed by Combs Wine and Spirits in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, alleged that Diageo North America drained resources from Combs’ Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila brands, even though it drew attention to other celebrity brands was directed.
For example, Diageo bought actor George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila brand for $1 billion in 2017.
Diddy said Diageo leadership told him his race was one of the reasons the spread was limited to urban neighborhoods.
He was also told that some Diageo executives resented him for making too much money, the lawsuit says.