NEW YORK— Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused in a lawsuit Thursday of subjecting R&B singer Cassie to a yearslong relationship that included beatings and rape.
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, alleged in the suit filed against the producer and music mogul in New York federal court that Combs brought her into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” not long after she met him and signed to his label when she was 19 and he was 37 in 2005.
Combs denied the allegations and accused his ex of extortion.
“For the past 6 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,” said a statement from his lawyer. “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’ reputation and seeking a pay day.”
Ventura, now 37 herself, said Combs, now 54, began the pattern of abuse soon after they met. The suit alleges he subjected her to savage beatings, plied her with drugs, and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them.
The suit says Combs forced his way into her home and raped her as the relationship was ending in 2018.
“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,” Ventura said in a statement.
Combs is a three-time Grammy winner who is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades.
