Pop and R&B singer Cassie has taken legal action against Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging sexual and physical abuse. The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court, also names Epic Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records LLC, Combs Enterprises LLC, and 10 unnamed corporations as defendants.
Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, claims she met Diddy in 2005 or 2006 when she was 19, and he was 37. After signing a record deal, she asserts that Diddy exerted control over her personal and professional life, claiming he became deeply involved in her affairs within a year.
The lawsuit alleges that Diddy forcibly kissed Cassie without consent at her 21st birthday party and financially controlled various aspects of her life by 2010. There are also claims of Diddy providing Cassie with drugs, with one instance in 2007 stating she felt unable to refuse. The lawsuit suggests Diddy demanded prescriptions in her name when his pill supply ran out.
Cassie alleges that Diddy had access to her medical records, including an MRI for memory loss, possibly caused by drug use or head injuries from Diddy. The lawsuit accuses Diddy of physically abusing Cassie multiple times each year, with one incident in 2009 describing him stomping on her face.
The lawsuit includes sex trafficking allegations, claiming Diddy directed Cassie to perform sexual acts with sex workers and provided her with drugs and alcohol during these encounters. Cassie also accuses him of occasionally physically assaulting her and filming these instances.
Controversy started in 2011
In 2011, during a fallout with Diddy, Cassie briefly dated Kid Cudi. The lawsuit mentions Diddy threatening to blow up Kid Cudi’s car, which indeed exploded in Cudi’s driveway around that time.
Cassie states that in 2016, she tried to leave a hotel room, and Diddy chased her, threw glass vases, and yelled at her. She claims Bad Boy Management and Sony Music warned her that her single would be withheld if she didn’t answer Diddy’s calls.
The lawsuit concludes with Cassie accusing Diddy of raping her in September 2018, causing lifelong harm. She is suing Diddy for sex trafficking, sexual assault, sexual battery, violating New York’s gender-motivated violence law, and more.
Cassie’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, praised her bravery for speaking out against the abuse and seeking justice. In response to Diddy’s alleged offer to pay her off, Wigdor stated that Cassie rejected it, choosing to give a voice to all women suffering in silence.
