In November 2023, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against her ex-partner Sean “Diddy” Combs accusing him of sexual assault and physical abuse.
The “Me & U” singer claimed she was stuck in a decades-long “cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking” during her relationship with Diddy, including being raped in 2018 after she tried to leave him.
“After years of silence and obscurity, I am finally ready to tell my story and speak up for myself and for other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships,” she said in a statement.
Cassie continued, “With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity for me to speak about the trauma I had experienced and will be recovering from for the rest of my life.”
The trial was settled a day later in New York, but in May 2024, footage emerged of the rapper’s alleged physical assault on the “Me & U” singer.
A timeline of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sexual assault allegations and lawsuits
In her lawsuit, Cassie referenced the videotaped altercation, alleging that in March 2016, “Mr. Combs got very drunk and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, bruising her eye.”
At the time of the allegations, Diddy denied any wrongdoing, and his attorney Ben Brafman told PEOPLE in a statement that the claims were “offensive and outrageous.”
In September 2024, Diddy was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation for prostitution. The rapper pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.
“So many people have protected Diddy for so long and it’s no exaggeration to say [Cassie’s] Life has been in danger through all of this,” a source told PEOPLE. “She was very hopeful that justice would come.”
Here’s everything you need to know about what Cassie accused Diddy of in her lawsuit.
What did Cassie accuse Diddy of?
Sean Combs at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada; Cassie is coming to the Buttah Skin By Dorion Renaud Holiday Pop-Up on December 14, 2022 in New York City.
Matt Baron/Shutterstock; Johnny Nunez/WireImage
In her complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, Cassie detailed how after meeting Diddy in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37, she was signed to his record label, Bad Boy Records, after which he allegedly took over “ complete control” over her life, “thereby ensuring her inability to escape his grip.”
By 2007, she claimed he pressured her to start dating him, and she did so out of fear of retaliation, according to the complaint. During their relationship, Cassie claimed he gave her “large amounts of drugs” and would exhibit “uncontrollable rages” while “often beating[ing] Ms. Ventura savagely.”
She added that she was allegedly forced to hide in hotels for days until her bruises disappeared, and in the end she “began to blindly follow his instructions for fear of being beaten again.”
Cassie also detailed other alleged instances of abuse and “freakness,” which she said Diddy called instances where he wanted to watch the singer perform sexual acts with sex workers. She said the encounters “always” involved the use of drugs, such as ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana and alcohol.
Cassie said in 2018 that she tried to leave Diddy one last time, but after she broke up with him at dinner, he allegedly forced his way into her home and raped her.
“Mrs. “Ventura has now completely escaped Mr. Combs, but the damage he caused by the assaults and sexual abuse she endured for nearly a decade will haunt her forever,” the complaint states. “She needs intensive medical and psychological care to recover from the trauma she has experienced.”
When did Cassie settle the lawsuit against Diddy?
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Sean “Diddy” Combs attends the Black Tie Affair For Quality Control CEO Pierre “Pee” Thomas on June 2, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. ; Cassie attends the Laquan Smith fashion show during New York Fashion Week in September 2022. September 12, 2022
Paras Griffin/Getty; Dominik Bindl/Getty
A day after her complaint was filed, the singers reached a “mutually satisfactory” settlement on November 17, 2023.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on the condition that I have some level of control,” Cassie said in a statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said: “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She should be commended for doing that.”
Diddy’s attorney added that the settlement is “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
“We have decided to resolve this matter amicably,” Diddy said in a statement. “I wish Cassie and her family the best. Love.”
What was in the video that appeared in May 2024?
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Cassie and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attend Roc Nation THE BRUNCH on January 27, 2018 in New York City.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
In the months following the settlement, a series of other allegations and lawsuits were filed against Diddy, culminating in a March 2024 search of his home by the US Department of Homeland Security.
Two months later, CNN released video of the March 2016 altercation at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. Surveillance video showed Cassie trying to leave her hotel room, walking down the hall toward the elevator, when Diddy chased after her and threw her to the ground.
As Cassie lay motionless on the ground, Diddy punched her hard and lifted her purse and suitcase before punching her again. He then grabbed her and tried to drag her in the direction of his hotel room before letting her go and sitting on a chair. According to the video, he then took an object from the table to throw it at her.
Diddy continued walking when the elevator doors opened and someone stepped out.
The altercation is consistent with the description of the scenario Cassie described in her lawsuit.
“After he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura attempted to leave the hotel room, but when she exited, Mr. Combs woke up and began screaming at Ms. Ventura,” the lawsuit alleges. “He followed her into the hotel corridor while shouting at her. He grabbed her and then picked up glass vases in the corridor and threw them at her, causing the glass to shatter around them as she ran towards the lift to escape.”
According to the lawsuit, Cassie left the hotel by taking the elevator and taking a taxi.
“After realizing that her escape would only make Mr. Combs angrier at her and completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser,” the complaint said. . “When she returned, hotel security staff made her get back in a taxi and go to her apartment, suggesting they had seen security footage of Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway.”
The lawsuit adds that Diddy allegedly paid the hotel $50,000 for security footage of the hallway fight.
After the March 2024 video surfaced, IHG Hotels told PEOPLE in a statement, “This hotel is no longer managed by IHG and we do not have access to any previous records or footage of the incident.”
What did Cassie say about the video?
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Cassie Ventura and Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs pose ringside at the “Mayweather VS Pacquiao” match on May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty
A week after the video surfaced, Cassie took to Instagram to express her gratitude “for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet.”
She added that while “the outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle down and feel safe,” this is just “the beginning.”
“Domestic violence is a problem. It broke me into someone I thought I would never become,” she wrote. “With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always recover from the past. This healing journey never ends, but this support means everything to me.”
Cassie ended her statement by asking people to trust the victims “for the first time” and offered a “hand” to people who are still “living in fear”.
On the same day the video was released, her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, praised the singer’s “courage” in sharing her story.
“The harrowing video only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. “Words cannot describe the courage and strength Ms. Ventura showed in coming forward to bring this to light,” he said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
A representative for Diddy did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
What did Diddy say about the video?
A few days after the hotel footage was released, Diddy posted a video on his Instagram to break his silence on the altercation.
“It’s so hard to think about the darkest moments in your life,” he said in the video. “Sometimes you have to do it. I was f—– up. I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I’m not apologizing. My behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
He continued: “I was appalled. I was appalled when I did it, I’m appalled now. I went and got professional help, went to therapy, went to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to being a better person every day.”
Cassie’s attorney Meredith Firetog, a partner at Wigdor LLP, responded to Diddy’s video in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, calling his apology “more about himself than the many people he hurt.”
“When Cassie and numerous other women came forward, he denied everything and said his victims were asking for pay,” she wrote. “That he was forced to ‘apologize’ only after his repeated denials were proven false shows his poor desperation and no one will be swayed by his insincere words.”
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