NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥� 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 鈥渙stentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle鈥� not long after she met him and signed to his label when she was 19 and he was 37 in 2005.
Attorney Ben Brafman said Combs 鈥渧ehemently denies鈥� the allegations.
Ventura, now 37 herself, said Combs, now 54, began the pattern of abuse began as soon as their relationship did.
The suit alleges that, 鈥減rone to uncontrollable rage,鈥� he subjected her to "savage" beatings in which he punched, kicked and stomped her. It alleges he plied her with drugs, and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them.
The suit says that as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018, Combs forced her into her Los Angeles home and raped her.
鈥淎fter 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.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Ventura has.
Brafman called the allegations 鈥渓ies.鈥�
鈥淔or the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura鈥檚 persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail,鈥� he said in a statement. "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鈥檚 reputation and seeking a payday.鈥�
Ventura's lawyer Douglas Wigdor responded in a statement that Combs offered her 鈥渆ight figures to silence her and prevent her the filing of this lawsuit. She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all woman who suffer in silence.鈥�
Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades.
He and Ventura began dating in 2007 and had an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade.
She became known for the Ryan Leslie-produced hit single 鈥淢e & U,鈥� which secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart in 2006. The song was the lead single of her only studio album, which was self-titled.
As an actor, she has appeared in several television and films projects including Fox鈥檚 鈥淓mpire,鈥� 鈥淪tep Up 2:The Streets鈥� and 鈥淪penser Confidential.鈥�
Combs built one of hip-hop鈥檚 biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
The mogul created the fashion clothing line Sean John, launched the Revolt TV channel with a focus on music, and produced the reality show 鈥淢aking the Band鈥� for MTV.
This year, he released his fifth studio album 鈥淭he Love Album: Off the Grid,鈥� which earned two Grammy nominations this month.
The lawsuit cites a speech Combs gave while receiving a lifetime achievement honor at the BET Awards in 2022, in which he thanked Ventura for "holding me down in the dark times, love.鈥�
The suit says, 鈥淭he truth, however, is that Cassie 鈥� Ms. Casandra Ventura 鈥� was held down by Mr. Combs and endured over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed demands.鈥�
The Associated Press
