Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of rape and serious physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend Cassie | Crime in the United States

Hip-hop icon and Bad Boy Records founder Sean Combs has been accused of rape and abuse in a major lawsuit filed by singer Cassie who alleges he used his powerful network to keep her trapped in an abusive relationship with him.

Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, dated Combs for over a decade. She alleges that during their relationship, Combs repeatedly assaulted her — violently beating and raping her — and controlled every aspect of her life, The New York Times first reported Thursday. She faced “a cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking” until their relationship ended in 2018, according to the lawsuit.

She said in a statement to The Times that after “years in silence and darkness” she was “finally ready to tell my story and speak out for myself and for the benefit of other women facing violence and abuse in their lives. relationships”.

A representative for Combs, who goes by Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy and Love, denied the claims, writing that the allegations were “offensive and outrageous” and came after Ventura demanded $30 million from the mogul.

“Ms. Ventura is now resorting to a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aimed at tarnishing Mr. Combs’ reputation and getting a payday,” the statement said.

A lawyer for Ventura told the New York Times that she was offered “eight figures to silence her and prevent this lawsuit from being filed,” which she rejected.

Emails seeking comment from Ventura representatives were not immediately returned.

This shocking trial paints a dark picture of their relationship in which Combs took control of her personal and professional life and subjected her to years of savage beatings, forced sex and constant threats of violence.

Combs, a three-time Grammy winner, runs a business empire that includes everything from alcohol to music, and has been a major figure in hip-hop since founding Bad Boy Records in 1993, debuting and working working closely with musicians like Notorious BIG, Mary J. Blige and Lil Kim.

Combs began aggressively pursuing Ventura, who signed with Bad Boy at age 19 and quickly catapulted to fame, the lawsuit says, inviting himself to a gathering for her 21st birthday where he forcibly kissed her and immediately exercised his power and influence.

Because of Combs’ status as the founder of Bad Boy Records, according to the lawsuit, Ventura felt she could not refuse his advances — or his drug offers — without endangering her career. He lured her into an “ostentatious, fast-paced, drug-fueled lifestyle,” according to the lawsuit.

After they started dating, Combs took Ventura on “lavish” vacations, paid for apartments in New York and Los Angeles, gave him designer clothes and supplied him with drugs – a lifestyle which, according to the lawsuit, was designed to keep her “compliant and docile.” “. He became dominant and violent, according to the lawsuit, often punching, kicking and stomping her. He allegedly forced her to keep her guns in her purse on at least two occasions.

The now 54-year-old was allegedly prone to “uncontrollable rage” and forced Ventura to “regularly engage in sexual acts with male sex workers” whom he photographed and filmed. She was given medication before and during, allowing her to “dissociate during these horrific encounters,” according to the suit. Ventura was a victim of sex trafficking because she was required to engage in forced sex acts in several cities, the lawsuit states.

In 2015, Combs beat Ventura so severely that when his security guard and assistant saw “two black eyes, a busted and bruised lip and a huge mark on his forehead,” they began to cry, according to the lawsuit. She was regularly forced to hide in hotels while her bruises healed, Ventura claims.

Combs used his businesses to further control his life, the lawsuit says, and although his “loyal network” witnessed his abuse, they were unwilling to do anything “meaningful to stop the behavior by Mr. Combs.”

“Her unstable and abusive partner – who also owned her label and therefore held her future success in his hands – had fully exercised control over every aspect of her life,” the lawsuit states.

He used the threat of further violence as well as his network to keep Ventura in the relationship each time she tried to leave, according to the lawsuit. After beginning a brief relationship with Kid Cudi in 2012, Combs allegedly blew up the rapper’s car. Kid Cudi confirmed Ventura’s account to the New York Times, saying, “It’s all true. »

In 2016, Bad Boy Management president James Cruz told Ventura that her single would not be released unless she answered phone calls, the lawsuit states.

In 2018, Ventura was desperate to end their relationship. After a dinner at which she thought they would discuss the matter, Combs forced his way into her home and raped her, according to the lawsuit. Shortly afterward, she moved out of the house he had paid for, returned the car he had bought her, and split up completely.

The harm and trauma she suffered required “intensive medical and psychological care.”

“Ms. Ventura therefore seeks justice for the decade of her life that Mr. Combs took away from her with threats of violence, excessive drug use, physical and psychological abuse, and sexual slavery,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages as well as mental pain and severe emotional distress.