American singer Cassandra Elizabeth Ventura, widely known as Cassie, has lodged a lawsuit against her former partner, Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, alleging a decade of sexual abuse.
As reported by The New York Times, Cassie filed the lawsuit in the Federal District Court in Manhattan, accusing Diddy of rape and sustained physical abuse over the course of approximately ten years.
She asserted that the cycle of abuse and control began in 2005 when she met Diddy at the age of 19. The allegations include disturbing incidents such as physical assaults, coerced sexual encounters with male prostitutes while being recorded, as well as drug supply.
The statement reads, “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.”
In response to her allegation, Diddy’s lawyer, Ben Brafman, said, “Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past six 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.”
“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’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, challenges this version of events, asserting that his client had a discussion with Diddy before filing the lawsuit.
Wigdor claims that Diddy purportedly attempted to silence Cassie by offering her a substantial sum in the eight figures to prevent the lawsuit from being filed. However, she declined his attempts and chose to speak out, aiming to give a voice to all women enduring suffering in silence.
The lawsuit marks a significant stride in addressing the intricacies of abuse within relationships of high public profile.