'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cassie Ventura recently revealed that she received $20 million in settlement for her 2023 lawsuit against her former boyfriend, Sean 'Diddy" Combs. She made this disclosure when she took the stand for her two-day testimony during his ongoing s*x trafficking trial.
The 38-year-old R&B singer, currently pregnant with her third child, sued the rapper in November 2023 under New York's Adult Survivors Act. In her lawsuit, she accused the rapper of s*xual assault, r*pe, forced participation in s*x acts, and physical abuse throughout their decade-long on-and-off relationship, tentatively between 2007 and 2018.
While the lawsuit was settled a day after it was filed in New York, the settlement amount was never made public at the time. However, Ventura revealed that "Sean and his companies" paid her $20 million in settlement when federal prosecutor Emily Johnson questioned her during her testimony on May 14.
Trending
Cassie Ventura's 2023 lawsuit opened the gates for a federal investigation into Diddy, which ultimately led to his arrest for "s*x trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution" in September 2024.
Exploring Cassie Ventura's lawsuit against Diddy
On November 16, 2023, Cassie Ventura dropped a bombshell lawsuit against her former partner, Sean "Diddy" Combs, accusing him of abuse, assault, r*pe, and s*xual violence throughout their relationship. The suit dubbed the Bad Boy Records founder a "serial domestic abuser, who would regularly beat and kick Ms Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises, and blood".
The lawsuit claimed that Ventura was 19 and Combs was 37 when they met in 2005. Ventura, an aspiring singer, was signed to Diddy's Bad Boy Records shortly after they met.
As per the lawsuit, Ventura claimed that Diddy persuaded her "into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him" a couple of years after they met. The singer alleged that Combs "exerted his power and influence" over her to control her life and career.
Ventura also alleged that the rapper was often physically abusive and "prone to uncontrollable rage," following which he would subject the singer to "savage" beatings "multiple times each year."
The suit recounted an alleged instance of Diddy flying into a rage after seeing Ventura speaking with a talent agent. She alleged that the rapper proceeded to push her into a car and kicked her in the face multiple times. Ventura claimed that she feared for her life if she denied Diddy anything, with the suit stating:
“Ms. Ventura felt that saying ‘no’ to Mr. Combs would cost her something — her family, her friends, her career, or even her life.”
According to court documents, Ventura detailed another instance of Diddy physically assaulting her after she tried to leave a hotel in LA to escape from him in 2016. She claimed the rapper followed her down the hotel corridor and threw her to the floor, continuing to kick her and throw things at her.
The suit claimed the rapper bribed the hotel security with $50,000 for the footage. However, a copy of the CCTV footage saw the light of day after CNN publicly released it in May 2024.
The lawsuit also detailed another alleged instance of Combs threatening to blow up rapper Kid Cudi's car after hearing that Ventura had begun a relationship with the rapper sometime in 2012. Following the threat, one of Cudi's cars did blow up, which was confirmed by the rapper. However, it is not confirmed whether Diddy played a part in it.
Cassie Ventura claimed she was forced to participate in "freak-off" parties
According to court documents, Diddy allegedly introduced Cassie Ventura to the s*xual act of "voyeurism," where he coerced her to perform s*x acts (dubbed "freak-offs") with male escorts, which he watched, recorded, or m*sterbated to. The suit also claimed that he used the recordings to blackmail Ventura into submission.
The lawsuit also claimed that Diddy plied Ventura with copious drugs and alcohol during the "freak-offs", leading to her battling substance abuse for years. Ventura claimed she continued using the drugs because they "allowed her to disassociate during these horrific encounters."
Ventura also claimed that Combs allegedly r*ped her after she tried to end their relationship in 2018. According to the lawsuit, the singer claimed Combs broke into her apartment and s*xually assaulted her while she "repeatedly said 'no' and tried to push him away."
She added that she was able to file the civil lawsuit against the rapper due to New York's Adult Survivors Act, which allowed any alleged victim of s*xual assault to take action against their abuser between November 2022 and November 2023, despite the expiry of the statute of limitations. The act ended a week after Ventura filed her lawsuit.
“With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life,” she wrote in the lawsuit.
Following the lawsuit's settlement, both Combs and Cassie Ventura stated they reached an arrangement to "resolve this matter amicably." According to the BBC, Diddy's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said the settlement was not "an admission of wrongdoing" on Combs' part, claiming Ventura's lawsuit was "riddled with baseless and outrageous lies."
Cassie Ventura had detailed many of the alleged incidents she had mentioned in her lawsuit during her testimony on May 13 and 14. Diddy's trial will continue on May 15 with Ventura's cross-examination by the defense.
